Larval microhabitats of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia

• Published in: Journal of medical entomology 1997-11, Vol.34 (6), p.719-728
• Main Authors: Ferro, C. (NIH, Santafe de Bogota, Colombia.), Pardo, R, Torres, M, Morrison, A.C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AGE DETERMINATION; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; COLOMBIA; Colombia - epidemiology; COLOMBIE; DETERMINACION DE LA EDAD; DETERMINATION DE L'AGE; DISEASE VECTORS; EMERGENCE TRAPS; Endemic Diseases; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HABITAT; HABITATS; INFECCIONES POR PROTOZOOS; Insect Vectors; Larva; LARVAE; LARVAS; LARVE; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - epidemiology; LUTZOMYIA LONGIPALPIS; Male; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; PIEGE; PROTOZOAL INFECTIONS; PROTOZOOSE; Psychodidae; TRAMPAS; TRAPS; VECTEUR DE MALADIE; VECTORES; VECTORS; Vectors. Intermediate hosts; Weather
• ISSN: 0022-2585; 1938-2928
• DOI: 10.1093/jmedent/34.6.719

An intensive search for the larval habitats of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz and Neiva) was conducted from November 1992 to October 1993 at a small rural community in Colombia where American visceral leishmaniasis is endemic. Emergence traps constructed from polyvinyl chloride pipes were used to sample a variety of soil microhabitats that included edge areas of covered pigpens, cattle corrals, the base of trees, and leaf litter at sites within 40 m of a house, rocks in fields located between 50 and 500 m from houses, and sites within a patch of secondary forest (rocks, base of palm trees, and leaf litter). The teneral status of the sand flies captured in the emergence traps was confirmed by laboratory studies that determined the rate of terminalia rotation in male L. longipalpis and the rate of cuticular growth layer formation of the thoracic phragma in both sexes of this species. A total of 58 teneral sand flies was captured during the study period (49 wk). Fifteen specimens were L. longipalpis; of these 11 (5 sand flies per square meter) were captured near pigpens, 3 (1.4 sand flies per square meter) were captured near rock resting sites, and 1 (1.6 sand flies per square meter) was collected at the base of a tree. The remainder of the sand flies were either L. trinidadensis (Newstead) or L. cayennensis (Flock and Abonnenc). Our results indicate that L. longipalpis larvae were dispersed widely in sites near houses, rather than concentrated in a few optimal microhabitats