Phlebotominae Fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) and Molecular Detection of Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in Urban Caves of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Sand flies are often collected in urban areas, which has several implications for the risk of transmission of Leishmania Ross, 1903, to humans and other mammals. Given this scenario, we describe the sand fly fauna of caves and their surroundings in Mangabeiras Municipal Park (MMP) and Paredão Serra do Curral Park (PSCP), both located in the urban area of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, an endemic focus of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. Collections were conducted monthly from November 2011 to October 2012, using CDC light traps exposed for two consecutive nights in four caves and their surroundings. Nonsystematized collections using Shannon traps and active searches were also performed around the caves. The presence of Leishmania DNA in collected female sand flies was evaluated by ITS1-PCR. A total of 857 sand flies representing fourteen species were collected in MMP, of which Evandromyia edwardsi (Mangabeira, 1941) was the most abundant. Leishmania amazonensis was detected in Brumptomyia nitzulescui (Costa Lima, 1932) and Ev. edwardsi, with the latter also having Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania infantum, and Leishmania sp. A total of 228 sand flies representing four species were collected in PSCP, of which Sciopemyia microps (Mangabeira, 1942) was the most abundant. No females from PSCP were positive for Leishmania-DNA. Studies aimed at describing sand fly faunas of cave environments and detecting Leishmania are essential to understanding the relationship between these insects and this ecotope and assessing and monitoring areas that may pose risks to the health of visitors and employees.

Ecological aspects of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from a cave of the speleological province of Bambuí, Brazil.

Phlebotomines are invertebrate hosts of Leishmania genus species which are etiological agents of leishmaniases in humans and other mammals. Sandflies are often collected in entomological studies of caves both in the inner area and the adjacent environments. Caves are ecotypes clearly different from the external environment. Several caves have been opened to public visitation before any studies were performed and the places do not have scientific monitoring of the fauna, flora, geological and geographical characteristics. These events can lead to the loss of geological and biological information. Considering these aspects, this study aimed to describe the sand fly fauna, including the ecological features, in a limestone cave at the Speleological Province of Bambuí (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). A total of 8,354 specimens of sandflies belonging to 29 species were analyzed: Lutzomyia cavernicola (20%), Nyssomyia intermedia (15%), Martinsmyia oliveirai (13%), Evandromyia spelunca (12%), Evandromyia sallesi (11%), Migonemyia migonei (9%), Nyssomyia whitmani (9%), Sciopemyia sordellii (4%) and Lutzomyia longipalpis (2%). The others species represent 5% of the total. This manuscript presents data found on richness, diversity, evenness and seasonality, comparing the sand fly fauna trapped in the cave and its surroundings.

Anomalies in the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Brazil.

Lutzomyia longipalpis is the main species involved in the epidemiological cycle of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. This species shows a wide geographic distribution and belongs to a group that has 2 setae in the paramere with the curved tips towards the apex of this structure among other characteristics. Morphological characters in the genitalia of phlebotomines are essential for correct identification of species. The aim of this study was to report the finding of unilateral and bilateral anomalies in the paramere of L. longipalpis males collected in Várzea da Palma municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Twelve collections were made during the period April 2009 to March 2010, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps, HP model. Of the 8,832 male L. longipalpis collected, we found 6 types of unilateral anomalies and 2 types of bilateral anomalies in 0.5% of the insects collected. The anomalies were described according to number, position, and size of the setae of paramere. This information will be useful in the validation of new species.

Lutzomyia diamantinensis sp. nov., a new phlebotomine species (Diptera: Psychodidae) from a quartzite cave in Diamantina, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

A new species of Brazilian phlebotomine sandfly found in Brazil, municipality of Diamantina, state of Minas Gerais, is described based on males and females collected in a quartzite cave. The body of spermathecae is continuous to the individual duct, lanky and tapering at the end, with conical shaped, not striated and presenting the head with dense setae. The male presents gonostyle with four spines and a small subterminal seta and gonocoxite with one group of persistent setae. The paramere is simple with a group of small setae on the dorsal apex. The morphological features of this new species permit its inclusion in the migonei group.

Lutzomyia diamantinensis sp. nov., a new phlebotomine species (Diptera: Psychodidae) from a quartzite cave in Diamantina, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

A new species of Brazilian phlebotomine sandfly found in Brazil, municipality of Diamantina, state of Minas Gerais, is described based on males and females collected in a quartzite cave. The body of spermathecae is continuous to the individual duct, lanky and tapering at the end, with conical shaped, not striated and presenting the head with dense setae. The male presents gonostyle with four spines and a small subterminal seta and gonocoxite with one group of persistent setae. The paramere is simple with a group of small setae on the dorsal apex. The morphological features of this new species permit its inclusion in the migonei group.

Description of a new species, Pintomyia dissimilis nov. sp., a phlebotomine fossil from Dominican Republic amber (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae).

BACKGROUND: Phlebotomine sandflies are the vectors of etiological agents of leishmaniases in several areas of the world. In the Neotropical Region, the biodiversity of these insects is more than other regions, probably due the long evolutionary period of this group. Miocene amber from Dominican Republic, currently, has a record of 14 extinct species of Phlebotomine sandflies. RESULTS: This paper describes a new fossil species of phlebotomine sandfly from amber found in Dominican Republic. This new species is based on morphological characters of a male such as 5 degrees palpomere longer than 3 degrees + 4 degrees , three well-developed spines in the gonostyle, lateral lobe longer than gonocoxite and permit inclusion of the new species in the genus Pintomyia, series serrana. The paramere, with a curvature in the ventral margin, of the middle of the structure, separates the new species from the others fossils or extant species. CONCLUSION: The new species described in the present study named Pintomyia dissimilis nov. sp. is well differenciated from all known species in this genus.