Sand fly fauna of South-Eastern Romania, with the description of Phlebotomus (Transphlebotomus) simonahalepae n. sp. (Diptera: Psychodidae)

Cristina Daniela Cazan,Ozge Erisoz Kasap,Attila D Sándor,Bulent Alten,Andrei Daniel Mihalca

doi:10.1186/s13071-021-04929-6

Abstract

BackgroundAn entomological study was conducted in the Canaraua Fetii Special Protection Area in the Dobrogea region, South-Eastern Romania. Four sand fly species were recorded at this location between 1968 and 1970: Phlebotomus neglectus, Ph. balcanicus, Ph. sergenti and Sergentomyia minuta. The most abundant sand fly species recorded at that time were Ph. balcanicus and Se. minuta. In the context of a countrywide study to update the sand fly species diversity, we surveyed the same area, recording also a previously unknown Ph. (Transphlebotomus) sp., for which we provide a formal description here.MethodsSand flies were collected between July and August in 2018 and 2019 in three sites from Canaraua Fetii, Dobrogea region, Romania. The general aspect of the landscape is of a canyon (vertical, narrow walls and deep valleys). Species identification was done using both morphological and molecular analyses.ResultsOut of 645 collected sand flies, 644 (99.8%) were morphologically identified as Ph. neglectus, while one female specimen (0.2%) was assigned to a previously unknown species, belonging to the subgenus Transphlebotomus. The morphological and molecular examination of this specimen showed that it is a previously unknown species which we formally describe here as Phlebotomus (Transphlebotomus) simonahalepae n. sp. Also, Ph. balcanicus, Ph. sergenti, and Se. minuta (previously recorded in this location) were not present.ConclusionsThe study revealed for the first time the presence of sand flies of the subgenus Transphlebotomus in Romania. Moreover, a new species, Ph. simonahalepae n. sp., was described based on a female specimen, raising the number of species in this subgenus to six. In the investigated natural habitat, the predominant species was Ph. neglectus instead of Ph. balcanicus and Se. minuta (recorded as the predominant species in 1968–1970).Graphical abstract

Highlights

An entomological study was conducted in the Canaraua Fetii Special Protection Area in the Dobrogea region, South-Eastern Romania
Cazan et al Parasites Vectors (2021) 14:448 In Europe, sand flies are mostly present in the Mediterranean basin, highly endemic for zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in humans (VL) and canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in dogs, caused by Leishmania infantum [2]
We describe a previously unknown Phlebotomus (Transphlebotomus) sp. which has been found during a countrywide study to update the sand fly species diversity in Romania

Summary

Introduction

An entomological study was conducted in the Canaraua Fetii Special Protection Area in the Dobrogea region, South-Eastern Romania. Four sand fly species were recorded at this location between 1968 and 1970: Phlebotomus neglectus, Ph. balcanicus, Ph. sergenti and Sergentomyia minuta. The most abundant sand fly species recorded at that time were Ph. balcanicus and Se. minuta. In the context of a countrywide study to update the sand fly species diversity, we surveyed the same area, recording a previously unknown Ph. Three species that are vectors for L. infantum are present in Romania: Phlebotomus perfiliewi, Ph. neglectus, and Ph. balcanicus [2, 3]. The permanent risk of VL and CanL emergence in new areas requires constant surveillance of vector presence and abundance and disease epidemiology, mainly at the limit of their distribution [4]

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