Ecological aspects of the Phlebotominae fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the Xakriabá Indigenous Reserve, Brazil

Abstract

Background: Sand fly collections were performed to study ecological aspects of the Phlebotominae fauna of the Xakriabá Indigenous Reserve, an area with endemic cutaneous leishmaniasis, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Methods: The collections were performed in peridomicile areas and along trails previously selected for the study of wild and synanthropic Leishmania hosts. Differences in the distribution patterns of the sand fly species as well as in species richness and abundance between the different ecotopes were investigated during both rainy and dry seasons over the course of the study period.

Results: A total of 8,046 sand flies belonging to 11 genera and 28 species were collected. Lutzomyia longipalpis and Nyssomyia intermedia were the most abundant species in peridomicile areas, whereas Martinsmyia minasensis and Lutzomyia cavernicola were the most abundant species among the different trail ecotopes.

Conclusion: The different composition of the sand fly fauna observed in the peridomicile areas and in the trails during the study, reinforces the importance of sampled different areas in a phlebotomine fauna survey. The presence of Lutzomyia longipalpis and Ny. Intermedia most abundant in peridomicile can be important to Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis transmission in the Imbaúbas native village.

Figure 1

Location of study area. The location of the municipality of São João das Missões in the north of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The Imbaúbas native village in the Xakriabá Indigenous Reserve, where the study was performed, is indicated.

Figure 2

Different ecotopes where the study was performed. A) The peridomicile area of a household in the Imbaúbas native village of the Xakriabá Indigenous Reserve. B) An HP light trap set in the peridomicile area of a household. C, D, E and F) Representative images of trails 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively.

Figure 3

Statistical analysis comparing the sand fly fauna. A multivariate analysis comparing the Phlebotominae fauna between the different studied environments (forest, rocky outcrop, transition forest) and seasons (dry and rainy). Each point corresponds one month of collection in each trail, totaling six points per trail.