Description of a new species, Pintomyia dissimilis nov. sp., a phlebotomine fossil from Dominican Republic amber (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae).
BACKGROUND
Phlebotomine sandflies are the vectors of etiological agents of leishmaniases in several areas of the world. In the Neotropical Region, the biodiversity of these insects is more than other regions, probably due the long evolutionary period of this group. Miocene amber from Dominican Republic, currently, has a record of 14 extinct species of Phlebotomine sandflies.


RESULTS
This paper describes a new fossil species of phlebotomine sandfly from amber found in Dominican Republic. This new species is based on morphological characters of a male such as 5 degrees palpomere longer than 3 degrees + 4 degrees , three well-developed spines in the gonostyle, lateral lobe longer than gonocoxite and permit inclusion of the new species in the genus Pintomyia, series serrana. The paramere, with a curvature in the ventral margin, of the middle of the structure, separates the new species from the others fossils or extant species.


CONCLUSIONS
The new species described in the present study named Pintomyia dissimilis nov. sp. is well differenciated from all known species in this genus.
Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. rpbrazil@ioc.fiocruz.br.
José Dilermando Andrade
JD
Filho
Paula Cavalcante Lamy
PC
Serra E Meira
Cristiani de Castilho
Cde C
Sanguinette
Reginaldo Peçanha
RP
Brazil