The Distribution and Bioecological Aspects of Sandflies (Diptera, Psychodidae) in the Municipality of Araguaína, State of Tocantins, Brazil

Abstract

Sandflies are nematocerous dipterans that present significant diversity and geographic distribution and are responsible for the transmission of protozoa of the genus Leishmania. In Brazil, leishmaniases is emerging and is undergoing a clear geographic expansion, marked in all geographic regions. In recent decades, the state of Tocantins has reported human cases of visceral and tegumentary leishmaniasis and, in this context, knowledge about the composition of the sandfly fauna and distribution of these dipterans can contribute to surveillance and control actions. Monthly captures with CDC light traps (model HP) were carried out during 42 months in four monitoring stations (EM), two in the urban area and two in the rural area of the municipality of Araguaína, located in the northern region of Tocantins. A total of 8,518 sandflies, belonging to 37 species, were captured and the presence of five potential vectors of Leishmania spp., Lutzomyia longipalpis, Bichromomyia flaviscutellata, Psychodopygus ayrozai, Nyssomyia whitmani and Nyssomyia antunesi were detected. The analysis of ISA and SISA revealed that Evandromyia bourrouli, Evandromyia carmelinoi, Nyssomyia antunesi, Nyssomyia whitmani and Evandromyia walkeri were the most abundant species and the six species showed significant correlation between the sandflies captured with meteorological variables of up to four months.