Updating the knowledge of sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) in Rondônia State, Brazil

Abstract

Sandflies are insects important for the transmission cycles of the leishmaniases. Despite being studied since the 1960s in the State of Rondônia (Brazil), several gaps exist regarding our working knowledge of these insects. This study aimed to construct an up-to-date database of sandflies using complementary information from the speciesLink database and the scientific literature, as well as to elaborate integrated abundance maps. We identified 153,155 records of sandflies captured in Rondônia between 1965-2021; after exclusion, 147,258 reports (speciesLink - 3,408, Rondônia studies – 143,850) associated with 15 genera and 140 species were mapped. The most abundant species observed were Psychodopygus davisi (Root, 1934) (43,818 records), Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939) (12,594), Psychodopygus carrerai (Barretto, 1946) (11,840), Psychodopygus hirsutus (Mangabeira, 1942) (9,676), Nyssomyia antunesi (Coutinho, 1939) (8,847), Trichophoromyia ubiquitalis (Mangabeira, 1942) (5,505), Psychodopygus geniculatus (Mangabeira, 1941) (4,644), Pintomyia nevesi (Damasceno & Arouck, 1956) (4,140), Trichophoromyia auraensis (Mangabeira, 1942) (3,579), Psychodopygus complexus (Mangabeira, 1941) (2,659), Nyssomyia fraihai (Martins, Falcão & Silva, 1979) (2,504) and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira, 1942) (1,418). A total of 20 records of Leishmania detection corresponded to eight sand fly species. The present dataset provides updated information on the distribution of sandflies of Rondônia, including those considered potential vectors of Leishmania, which should prove useful to guide future studies. The present study provides an extensive dataset built from all studies reporting phlebotomine sandflies in the Brazilian State of Rondônia. Online distribution maps can aid scientists who wish to consult the updated list of sand fly species and view the distribution of these insects, as well as those considered potential vectors of Leishmania. The results of the present study can serve as the basis for future studies on sandflies conducted in the State.