Lutzomyia adiketis sp. n. (Diptera: Phlebotomidae), a vector of Paleoleishmania neotropicum sp. n. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in Dominican amber

George Poinar

doi:10.1186/1756-3305-1-22

Abstract

BackgroundAmber fossils can be used to trace the history of disease-vector associations because microorganisms are preserved "in situ" inside the alimentary tract and body cavity of blood-sucking insects.ResultsLutzomyia adiketis sp. n. (Phlebotomidae: Diptera) is described from Dominican amber as a vector of Paleoleishmania neotropicum sp. n. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). The fossil sand fly differs from all previously described extinct and extant members of the genus by the following combination of characters: Sc forked with the branches meeting the costa and radius veins; wing L/W value of 4.1; a δ value of 18; a ratio β/α value of 0.86, and the shape and size of the spatulate rods on the ninth sternite. The trypanosomatid is characterized by the structure of its promastigotes, amastigotes and paramastigotes and its transmission by an extinct species of sand fly.ConclusionMorphological characters show that the fossil sand fly is a new extinct species and that it is host to a digenetic species of trypanosomatid. This study provides the first fossil evidence that Neotropical sand flies were vectors of trypanosomatids in the mid-Tertiary (20–30 mya).

Highlights

Amber fossils can be used to trace the history of disease-vector associations because microorganisms are preserved "in situ" inside the alimentary tract and body cavity of blood-sucking insects
The present study describes a second species of Paleoleishmania carried by an extinct species of Lutzomyia sand fly in Dominican amber
The species shares many characters found in the extant subgenera Lutzomyia França and Pintomyia Costa Lima 1932, the latter genus is (FParirgorumorwaesst)7igooftLeustozof mPaylieaoaledisikhemtiasnia neotropicum in the proboscis Promastigotes of Paleoleishmania neotropicum in the proboscis of Lutzomyia adiketis

Summary

Introduction

Amber fossils can be used to trace the history of disease-vector associations because microorganisms are preserved "in situ" inside the alimentary tract and body cavity of blood-sucking insects. Moth flies (Psychodidae) and sand flies (Phlebotomidae) are primitive Diptera [1] often treated as subfamilies [2]. The fossil record of sand flies dates back to Early Cretaceous Lebanese [3,4] and Burmese amber [5]. The Burmese amber sand fly, Palaeomyia burmitis Poinar [5] was transmitting Paleoleishmania protera Poinar & Poinar [6,7], the first described fossil digenetic trypanosomatid parasite. The present study describes a second species of Paleoleishmania carried by an extinct species of Lutzomyia sand fly in Dominican amber

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Conclusion