title: Phlebotomus (Paraphlebotomus) riouxi: a synonym of Phlebotomus chabaudi without any proven vectorial role in Tunisia and Algeria.
abstract: Phlebotomus (Paraphlebotomus) riouxi Depaquit, Léger & Killick-Kendrick (Diptera: Psychodidae) was described as a typological species based on a few morphological characters distinguishing it from Phlebotomus (Paraphlebotomus) chabaudi Croset, Abonnenc & Rioux. The naming of P. riouxi coincided with its incrimination as a rural vector of Leishmania tropica Wright (junior synonym: Leishmania killicki Rioux, Lanotte & Pratlong) in Tataouine governorate, an arid region of southern Tunisia. The current report finds insufficient evidence to incriminate either phlebotomine sandfly as a vector of L. tropica in North Africa. Phlebotomus riouxi was found not to have the characteristics of a phylogenetic or biological species, and therefore it is synonymized with P. chabaudi. Both taxa were recorded together for the first time in Tunisia, in Tataouine, where three of 12 males showed intermediate morphology and both sexes of each taxon were not characterized by specific lineages of the nuclear gene elongation factor-1α or the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b, for which a long 3' terminal fragment is recommended for phlebotomine phylogenetics. This case study indicates that the eco-epidemiology of leishmaniasis should focus more on identifying key components of vectorial transmission that are susceptible to interventions for disease control, rather than on defining sibling species of vectors.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche LR 11-IPT-06 (Parasitoses Médicales, Biotechnologies et Biomolécules), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tabbabi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rhim
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ghrab
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoun
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouratbine
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Ready
mesh_terms: D000462:Algeria; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010691:Phlebotomus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D045303:Cytochromes b
keywords: Leishmania tropica transmission; North Africa; Phlebotomus chabaudi; Phlebotomus riouxi; cutaneous leishmaniasis control; cytochrome b phylogenetics; elongation factor-1α phylogenetics