title: Ecology of phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in rural foci of leishmaniasis in tropical Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This work aimed to study the community structure of sandflies, with regard to the richness, constancy, abundance, and monthly frequency of the species with a focus on the transmission of leishmaniasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in the rural villages of Bom Jardim and Santa Maria, situated on the edge of a tropical rain forest in the municipality of São Jose de Ribamar, Maranhão, Brazil. The phlebotomines were captured in the intradomiciles and peridomiciles of each village, with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps set in 10 homes in each village, for 1 year, once a month, from 18h to 6h.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We collected 1,378 individuals of 16 sandfly species. The capture success rate was higher in Bom Jardim (0.61 specimens/hour/trap) than that of Santa Maria (0.35/specimens/hour/trap). The sandflies were more abundant in the peridomiciles (86.1%) and in the rainy season (77%). Five species were considered constants (occurring in more than 50% of samples), 5 accessory (25%-50%), and 6 accidental (<25%). The most abundant species were Lutzomyia longipalpis (59.7%) and L whitmani (28%). The permutation analysis showed differences between the species composition of the villages and no separation between the intradomicile and peridomicile of each village. The species that most contributed to the dissimilarity between the light traps of the 2 villages were L. longipalpis, L. whitmani, and L. evandroi, contributing to 80.8% of the variation among groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high level of richness and abundance of species and the presence of competent vectors throughout the year and around houses justify the occurrence of leishmaniasis cases reported in the area.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luis, MA.
authors.forename: Clara Maria Lima
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Leandro Santos
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: Gustavo Almeida
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Ciro Libio Caldas Dos
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: José Manuel Macário
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rebêlo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D017753:Ecosystem; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000635:transmission; D011156:Population Density; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000145:classification*; D012621:Seasons