title: Ecological aspects of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from a cave of the speleological province of Bambuí, Brazil.
abstract: Phlebotomines are invertebrate hosts of Leishmania genus species which are etiological agents of leishmaniases in humans and other mammals. Sandflies are often collected in entomological studies of caves both in the inner area and the adjacent environments. Caves are ecotypes clearly different from the external environment. Several caves have been opened to public visitation before any studies were performed and the places do not have scientific monitoring of the fauna, flora, geological and geographical characteristics. These events can lead to the loss of geological and biological information. Considering these aspects, this study aimed to describe the sand fly fauna, including the ecological features, in a limestone cave at the Speleological Province of Bambuí (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). A total of 8,354 specimens of sandflies belonging to 29 species were analyzed: Lutzomyia cavernicola (20%), Nyssomyia intermedia (15%), Martinsmyia oliveirai (13%), Evandromyia spelunca (12%), Evandromyia sallesi (11%), Migonemyia migonei (9%), Nyssomyia whitmani (9%), Sciopemyia sordellii (4%) and Lutzomyia longipalpis (2%). The others species represent 5% of the total. This manuscript presents data found on richness, diversity, evenness and seasonality, comparing the sand fly fauna trapped in the cave and its surroundings.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil ; Departamento de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo Mayr de Lima
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Reginaldo Peçanha
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Brazil
authors.forename: Mariana Campos das Neves Farah
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Paula Cavalcante Lamy
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Serra e Meira
authors.forename: Ana Paula Lusardo de Almeida
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Zenóbio
authors.forename: Helbert Antônio
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Botelho
authors.forename: Cristiani de Castilho
authors.initials: Cde C
authors.lastname: Sanguinette
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saraiva
authors.forename: José Dilermando
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Andrade Filho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D059552:Caves; D055669:Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000145:classification; D012621:Seasons