In Panama, species of the genus Lutzomyia are vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). There is no recent ecological information that may be used to develop tools for the control of this disease. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine the composition, distribution and diversity of Lutzomyia species that serve as vectors of ACL. Sandfly sampling was conducted in forests, fragmented forests and rural environments, in locations with records of ACL. Lutzomyia gomezi, Lutzomyia panamensis and Lutzomyia trapidoi were the most widely distributed and prevalent species. Analysis of each sampling point showed that the species abundance and diversity were greatest at points located in the fragmented forest landscape. However, when the samples were grouped according to the landscape characteristics of the locations, there was a greater diversity of species in the rural environment locations. The Kruskal Wallis analysis of species abundance found that Lu. gomezi and Lu. trapidoi were associated with fragmented environments, while Lu. panamensis, Lutzomyia olmeca bicolor and Lutzomyia ylephiletor were associated with forested environments. Therefore, we suggest that human activity influences the distribution, composition and diversity of the vector species responsible for leishmaniasis in Panama.

Lutzomyia longipalpis is the primary vector of the parasite responsible for visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. In the present study, Lu. longipalpis was found in a domiciliary area in Limón, a district in Capira, a region in which cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in Panama. Previously, this species has been found in a humid forest in this same region. Finding Lu. longipalpis in domiciliary areas indicates that this species may be adapting to new habitats and that it may play a role in the transmission of leishmaniasis in Panama.

To estimating in which layer of the tropical forest occurs the highest diversity of species of insect gall-makers and leaf miners, a survey was performed from March 1997 to May 1998 in two forests of the Republic of Panama (Parque Natural Metropolitano and Fuerte Sherman). Our results indicate that the canopy of tropical forest supports a higher species richness of insect gall-maker and leaf miners than the understorey. The proportion of species of both of these groups in the canopy and understorey is 2:1, respectively. The Fisher index alpha indicates that both groups of insects are more diverse in the canopy that in the understorey, the canopy of Fuerte Sherman being where the highest abundance of some morphospecies occurs.

Con el proposito de estimar en que estrato del bosque tropical ocurre mayor diversidad de especies de insectos formadores de agallas y minadores de hojas, se realizaron muestreos desde marzo de 1997 a mayo de 1998 en dos bosques de la República de Panamá (Parque Natural Metropolitano y Fuerte Sherman). Nuestros resultados indican que en el dosel de ambos bosques existe mayor riqueza de insectos formadores de agallas y minadores de hojas que en el sotobosque, siendo la proporción de especies de estos dos grupos en el dosel y sotobosque de 2:1 respectivamente. El índice alfa de Fisher indica que los dos grupos de insectos son más diversos en el dosel de los dos bosques que en el sotobosque, siendo el dosel del Fuerte Sherman donde ocurre mayor abundancia de algunas morfoespecies.