Diversity, Co-Occurrence, and Nestedness Patterns of Sand Fly Species (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Two Rural Areas of Western Panamá

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis transmission in the New World is observed in areas with rich sand fly species’ faunas. The diversity and composition of sand fly species can change in response to seasonal weather and land use changes. Here, we present results from a two-year-long study where we collected, using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps, sand flies from two rural areas, Las Pavas (LP) and Trinidad de las Minas (T) in western Panamá. Over 710 trap-nights, we collected 16,156 sand flies from 15 genera and 35 species. We identified 34 species in T, and the most abundant species collected was Nyssomyia trapidoi (Fairchild and Hertig, 1952) (n = 2278, 37%), followed by Psychodopygus panamensis (Shannon, 1926) (n = 1112, 18%), and Trichopygomyia triramula (Fairchild and Hertig, 1952) (n = 1063, 17%). In LP, we identified 26 species, and the most abundant species collected were Ty. triramula (n = 4729, 48%), and Ps. panamensis (n = 3444, 35%). We estimated a higher species’ richness in T (Chao2 ± S.E.: 36.58 ± 3.84) than in LP (27.49 ± 2.28). In T, species’ richness was significantly higher in the rainy season, but no seasonal differences were observed in LP. Species’ assemblages were nested in the two areas. Phlebotomine sand fly species’ abundance increased at the two sites during the rainy season. Our data suggest that seasonality is more important than land use as a factor driving sand fly species’ diversity at the studied sites.

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Diversity of sand flies in domiciliary environment of Santarém, state of Pará, Brazil: species composition and abundance patterns in rural and urban areas

Acta Amazonica ◽

10.1590/s0044-59672012000400008 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 507-514 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Marlisson Augusto Costa Feitosa ◽

Genimar Rebouças Julião ◽

Manoel Djalma Pereira Costa ◽

Braulio Belém ◽

Felipe Arley Costa Pessoa

Keyword(s):

Rural Area ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lower Amount ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban

This paper aimed to evaluate the richness, abundance and frequency of sand fly occurrence in rural and urban areas American visceral Leishmaniasis -AVL is endemic in the study area of Santarém municipality, Pará state. Sand flies were collected during 1995-2000, using CDC light traps placed in neighborhoods and rural areas of the municipality. A total of 53.454 individuals and 26 species of sand flies were collected. The most abundant species in both urban and rural environments was Lutzomyia longipalpis, vector of AVL in the area. The highest species richness by capture was in rural area. In all years sampled, the largest number of species of sand fly collected was always in rural areas. The species of sand flies in urban and rural area were similar in 11 species. In the rural area other 11 species were found, a total of 22 species. Shannon-Wiener index ranged from 0.12 to 0.84 at rural areas and 0.08 to 0.34 at urban ones. In general, rural localities showed higher diversity (H') of phlebotomines than urban ones. Individual-based rarefaction curves for each area demonstrated that urban localities had the lowest expected number of phlebotomine species and the richest rural ones reach higher expected values with lower amount of individuals than urban sites. The most frequent species were Lutzomyia longipalpis, Evandromyia carmelinoi and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata.

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Hedgerows and Enclosures in Rural Areas: Traditional vs. Modern Land Use in Mediterranean Mountains

Land ◽

10.3390/land10010057 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 57

Author(s):

Fernando Allende Álvarez ◽

Gillian Gómez-Mediavilla ◽

Nieves López-Estébanez ◽

Pedro Molina Holgado ◽

Judith Ares Barajas

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Main Role ◽

Land Uses ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Social ◽

Mediterranean Mountains ◽

Agroforestry Practices

The present paper highlights the importance of hedgerows and enclosures in the mountains of Central Spain. Now, these landscapes have suffered profound variations in terms of agroforestry practices, especially in the Mediterranean mountains where the characteristic multifunctional has largely been lost. The article analyzes land uses changes, dynamics, and their morphological features between the first half of the 20th Century (1956) and the second decade of the present time (2019). The paper was divided into three sections. First, the identification of land uses using orthophotograph and aerial photograph; after that the info was checked with fieldwork. Eleven categories were identified according to the dominant use and land use changes and size of land parcels were taken into consideration. Second, the configuration and the information collected through the type and intensity of change in land uses made it possible to recognise and quantify their distribution and trend between these two dates. Also, the kernel density algorithm available in the Arcgis 10.5 software was used to obtain density and changes in land parcels. Finally, an overview is given of the main role that this agroforestry plays due to the social, ecological, and economic benefits that they provide for allowing sustainable development.

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Morphological identification keys for adults of sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Sri Lanka

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04305-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tharaka Wijerathna ◽

Nayana Gunathilaka

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Morphological Features ◽

Control Measures ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Health Staff ◽

Morphological Identification ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Identification Keys ◽

Control Programmes

Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies are a medically important group of insects that is responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis. Surveillance plays a major role in vector control programmes through exploring species abundance, potential entomological risk and designing appropriate control measures. In field surveillance programmes of such nature, morphological identification of vector species is of paramount importance. However, in Sri Lanka, there is no published taxonomic key available for the identification of leishmaniasis vectors. Method Identification keys for both male and females of the sand flies recorded in Sri Lanka were developed using morphological features. Main identification features were compared with the original observation of specimens collected from surveys and the use of published literature. Photographic illustrations of morphological features are included with the intention of making the keys user-friendly for non-taxonomists. Results A total of 22 sand fly species (Diptera: Psychodidae) of the genera Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia reported in Sri Lanka from 1910 to 2019 are included in the present work. Conclusion This simplified key, along with photographs taken from specimens would be beneficial to the health staff, entomologists and research staff who deal with leishmaniasis control programmes and vector-related studies.

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Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in Pintomyia evansi and Lutzomyia longipalpis in Honduras

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04462-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wilfredo Sosa-Ochoa ◽

Javier Varela Amador ◽

Yokomi Lozano-Sardaneta ◽

Gabriela Rodriguez Segura ◽

Concepcion Zúniga Valeriano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Coast ◽

First Record ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Central American ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Endemic Region ◽

Transmission Cycle ◽

The Pacific

Abstract Background The two most abundant sand fly species on the Honduran Pacific coast are Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis and Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) evansi. Both species are known vectors of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum, the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Americas. Although VL and non-ulcerative cutaneous leishmaniasis (NUCL) are endemic on the Pacific versant of the Central American Pacific, the latter is the most frequent manifestation of leishmaniasis there. We evaluated the circulation of Leishmania spp. in the sand fly species on El Tigre Island, an endemic area of NUCL. Results We collected 222 specimens of six sand fly species. Lu. longipalpis (180 specimens; 81%) and Pif. (Pi.) evansi (35 specimens; 16%) were the most abundant species. L. (L.) infantum DNA was detected in nine of the 96 specimens analyzed; seven of these specimens were identified as Lu. longipalpis, and the remaining two were Pi.evansi, with an infection rate of 9.4% and 2.7%, respectively. Conclusion We present the first record of L. (L.) infantum DNA in Pi.evansi from a NUCL endemic region of Central America. Our results suggest that Pi. evansi could be a secondary vector of L. (L.) infantum in the transmission cycle of leishmaniasis. The detection of natural infections of L. (L.) infantum in sand flies in this region contributes to an understanding of the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Honduras.

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Nocturnal Mosquitoes of Pará State in the Brazilian Amazon: Species Composition, Habitat Segregation, and Seasonal Variation

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjaa103 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 57 (6) ◽

pp. 1913-1919

Author(s):

Walter Santos de Araújo ◽

Thallyta Maria Vieira ◽

Guilherme Antunes de Souza ◽

Isaque Clementino Bezerra ◽

Paulo Henrique Costa Corgosinho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Rainy Season ◽

Mosquito Species ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Dry Season ◽

Habitat Segregation ◽

Vector Species ◽

High Degree

Abstract Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are one of the most important disease vector species in the world. Many species have a high degree of anthropophilia and are often found in human habitations. In the present study, we have inventoried the nocturnal mosquito assemblage in intra-, peri-, and extradomicile environments in four municipalities in Pará, Brazil. At each municipality, a residence was selected and the mosquitoes were sampled using the protected human attraction capture and Shannon trap methods in April (rainy season) and August 2018 (dry season). We have collected a total of 696 mosquito specimens belonging to 8 genera and 17 species. The most abundant species were Mansonia (Mansonoides) titillans (Walker) (366/696, 52.6%), Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) albitarsis Lynch-Arribálzaga (97/696, 13.9%), and Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say (93/696, 13.4%). Mosquito richness, abundance, and composition did not differ between intra-, peri-, and extradomicile environments suggesting limited habitat segregation among the different species. However, mosquito species richness and mosquito species abundance were significantly higher during the rainy season than during the dry season, suggesting increased mosquito activity during the rainy season. We detected several important vector species of human diseases including Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus), Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi Root, Haemagogus (Conopostegus) leucocelaenus (Dyar and Shannon), Coquillettidia (Coquillettidia) venezuelensis (Theobald), and Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus which are the main transmitters of dengue, malaria, yellow fever, mayaro, and oropouche fever, respectively. As inventories of disease-carrying mosquitoes in the region are very scarce, mainly in residential environments, our results suggest high potential for mosquito-borne disease transmission in Pará State.

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Seasonal Occurrence of Adult Carabid Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in West-Central Illinois

Journal of Entomological Science ◽

10.18474/0749-8004-55.3.329 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 329-343

Author(s):

Kenneth W. McCravy ◽

Jason E. Willand

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Species Composition ◽

Tallgrass Prairie ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Early Summer ◽

Carabid Beetles ◽

West Central ◽

Central Illinois

Abstract The Carabidae is a diverse family of beetles with many species of interest in conservation and biological control. Carabid beetle adult seasonal activity patterns were studied in a west-central Illinois forest/reconstructed tallgrass prairie matrix over a 2-yr period using pitfall traps. We found a threefold or greater difference in carabid abundance between years. Despite lower abundance, a second year of sampling yielded seven previously undetected species. Abundance and species richness were greatest in May–July and lower in August–October. Relative abundance and species richness were consistent among months between years. Shannon diversity and effective number of species were lowest in June and July. Cyclotrachelus sodalis (LeConte) and Chlaenius platyderus Chaudoir were the two most abundant species, comprising 54.3% of total captures. These species were most abundant in July and June, respectively. Most species showed greatest abundance in spring or early summer, and declined thereafter. Collections of several species were suggestive of bimodal seasonal patterns. Carabid species composition differed significantly among months, but not between years. Our results document seasonal variation in carabid abundance and species composition, and show that sampling throughout the growing season, and multiple sampling years, provide substantial benefits for assessments of carabid diversity in this region.

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Ecology of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) in a wetland habitat and their potential role as bioindicators

Open Life Sciences ◽

10.2478/s11535-010-0098-x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 118-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ivan Gelbič ◽

Jiří Olejníček

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Potential Role ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

Wet Meadow ◽

Emergence Traps ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Pan Traps ◽

Malaise Traps

AbstractEcological investigations of long-legged flies (Dolichopodidae) were carried out in wet meadow wetlands near České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Sampling was performed during the adult flies’ seasonal activity (March–October) in 2002, 2003 and 2004 using yellow pan traps, Malaise traps, emergence traps, and by sweeping. Altogether 5,697 specimens of 78 species of Dolichopodidae were collected, identified and analysed. The study examined community structure, species abundance, and diversity (Shannon-Weaver’s index - H’; Sheldon’s equitability index - E). Chrysotus cilipes, C. gramineus and Dolichopus ungulatus were the most abundant species in all three years. Species richness and diversity seem strongly affected by soil moisture.

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Land Use Development of Vineyards in Goriška Brda, Slovenia

Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca ◽

10.15835/nbha45210855 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 611-622 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alenka FIKFAK ◽

Velibor SPALEVIC ◽

Saja KOSANOVIC ◽

Svetislav G. POPOVIC ◽

Mladen DJUROVIC ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Cultural Landscape ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Land Development ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Cross Tabulation ◽

The Cross

Land development analyses play a fundamental role in understanding how land use change shapes the land, depending on continuously changing social, economic, and environmental factors that reflect the interests in space. It is especially important to follow land use changes in rural areas due to their role in food security, environmental hazards, cultural landscape preservation, etc. Continuous analyses and monitoring of land use changes allow for the identification and prevention of negative trends in land use (over intensification, land fragmentation, etc.) that might affect biodiversity, change physical and chemical properties of soil, causing soil degradation, change the spatial balance, stability and natural equilibrium in the rural area. The use of the cross-tabulation matrix methodology was suggested for land use change analyses. The methodology, when the cross-tabulation matrix elements are correctly interpreted, allows us to gain as much insight as possible in the process of land use change. This approach enabled a detailed analysis of vineyards in Goriška brda, Slovenia. It was found that the existing methodology fails to analyse the location of change. For this reason, additional analyses of spatial distribution of change and of the locations where changes in space occur were suggested. The study demonstrated that the land use category of vineyards changes systematically, although seemingly randomly. By comparing land use categories over several time periods, the study determined that the size and speed of change varied across different time intervals. The identified land use changes were assessed in the context of their high pressure on agricultural land. The results of the analyses showed different trends shaping the typical agrarian landscape in Goriška brda.

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