Flebotomíneos da Amazônia Central e quatro novos registros para o estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Um levantamento foi conduzido em maio e junho de 2008 para estudar a fauna de insetos da Amazônia Central, Brasil. Como parte desta pesquisa, foram registradas 60 espécies de um total de 13.712 espécimes pertencentes a 13 gêneros. Os locais de coleta localizaram-se na fronteira dos estados do Pará e do Amazonas, incluindo três municípios do estado do Amazonas (Borba, Maués e Nhamundá). Armadilhas do tipo Malaise, CDC e Shannon foram utilizadas para coletar os insetos. A maioria dos flebotomíneos foi coletada em armadilhas CDC (89,5%), enquanto que as armadilhas Malaise e de Shannon coletaram 7% e 3,5%, respectivamente. Os gêneros mais abundantes, representando 97,1% do total de flebotomíneos identificados foram: Trichopygomyia Barretto, 1962 (47,6%), Psathyromyia Barretto, 1962 (17,9%), Psychodopygus Mangabeira, 1941 (17,5%) e Trichophoromyia Barretto, 1962 (14,3%). Os gêneros com o maior número de espécies identificadas foram Psychodopygus (14), Psathyromyia (10), Evandromyia Mangabeira, 1941 (7), Trichophoromyia (5) e Trichopygomyia (5). A espécie mais abundante foi Trichopygomyia trichopyga (Floch & Abonnenc, 1945) a qual representou 29% do total de flebotomíneos identificados. Também são registradas quatro novas espécies para o estado do Amazonas: Ps. complexus (Mangabeira, 1941), Ps. llanosmartinsi Fraiha & Ward, 1980, Ty. pinna (Feliciangeli, Ramirez-Pérez & Ramirez, 1989), e Th. readyi (Ryan, 1986). Os resultados deste estudo fornecem informações novas e adicionais sobre a distribuição de flebotomíneos da Amazônia e aumenta o número de espécies no estado do Amazonas de 127 para 131.

Sand flies from Central Amazonia and four new records for the Amazonas state, Brazil. A survey was conducted in May and June 2008 to study the fauna of insects in Central Amazonia, Brazil. As part of the survey, we report here that sixty species of phlebotomine were identified, totaling 13,712 specimens from 13 genera. The collection sites were located at the border between the states of Pará and Amazonas, comprising three municipalities from the Amazonas state (Borba, Maués, and Nhamundá). Malaise, CDC and Shannon traps were used to collect the insects. Most of the sand flies were collected by CDC traps (89.5%), while Malaise and Shannon traps collected 7% and 3.5%, respectively. The most abundant genera, representing 97.1% of the total sand flies identified were: Trichopygomyia Barretto, 1962 (47.6%), Psathyromyia Barretto, 1962 (17.9%), Psychodopygus Mangabeira, 1941 (17.5%) and Trichophoromyia Barretto, 1962 (14.3%). The genera with the largest number of species identified were: Psychodopygus (14), Psathyromyia (10), Evandromyia Mangabeira, 1941 (7), Trichophoromyia (5) and Trichopygomyia (5). The most abundant species was Trichopygomyia trichopyga (Floch & Abonnenc, 1945), which represented 29% of the total sand flies identified. Here we also report new records for four species in the Amazonas state: Ps. complexus (Mangabeira, 1941), Ps. llanosmartinsi Fraiha & Ward, 1980, Ty. pinna (Feliciangeli, Ramirez-Pérez & Ramirez, 1989), and Th. readyi (Ryan, 1986). The results of this study provide new, additional information on the distribution of sand flies in the Amazon and increase the number of species in the Amazonas state from 127 to 131.

In the present paper we describe the diversity of phlebotomine sandflies collected in three sandstone caves in the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo, state of Amazonas, Brazil. The phlebotomines were captured during 2006 with CDC light traps. Guano samples from inside the Gruta Refúgio do Maruaga were collected to investigate the presence of immature specimens. A total of 2,160 adult phlebotomines representing 15 species were captured. Pintomyia pacae was the dominant species in Gruta dos Animais (1,723 specimens) and Gruta dos Lages (50 specimens) and Deanemyia maruaga new comb (280 specimens) was the dominant species in Gruta Refúgio do Maruaga. A total of 18 guano samples were collected and seven of these samples included immature specimens. A total of 507 immature specimens were captured; 495 of these specimens were larvae and 12 were pupae. The presence of paca (Agouti paca) footprints near Gruta dos Animais and Gruta dos Lages suggests the association of Pi. pacae with this rodent. This finding may explain the abundance of Pi. pacae in these locations, while the species is relatively rare in the forest. Deanemyia maruaga is a cave species that uses guano to breed during its immature stages. Adult specimens of this species are apparently parthenogenetic and autogenous and represent the second record of parthenogenesis for the subfamily Phlebotominae.

Adult triatomines occasionally fly into artificially lit premises in Amazonia. This can result in Trypanosoma cruzi transmission to humans either by direct contact or via foodstuff contamination, but the frequency of such behaviour has not been quantified. To address this issue, a light-trap was set 45 m above ground in primary rainforest near Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil and operated monthly for three consecutive nights over the course of one year (432 trap-hours). The most commonly caught reduviids were triatomines, including 38 Panstrongylus geniculatus, nine Panstrongylus lignarius, three Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus, five Rhodnius robustus, two Rhodnius pictipes, one Rhodnius amazonicus and 17 Eratyrus mucronatus. Males were collected more frequently than females. The only month without any catches was May. Attraction of most of the known local T. cruzi vectors to artificial light sources is common and year-round in the Amazon rainforest, implying that they may often invade premises built near forest edges and thus become involved in disease transmission. Consequently, effective Chagas disease prevention in Amazonia will require integrating entomological surveillance with the currently used epidemiological surveillance.

A new species of parthenogenetic, autogenic and apparently extremely endemic phlebotomine is described from a sandstone cave located in primary terra firme forest to the North of the city of Manaus. Specimens were collected in the aphotic zone of the Refúgio do Maruaga cave by light trap and reared from bat guano. The adult morphology suggests a closer relationship to some Old World Phlebotominae than to species of Lutzomyia França encountered in the surrounding rainforest, but it shares characteristics with the recently proposed Neotropical genera Edentomyia Galati, Deanemyia Galati and Oligodontomyia Galati.

The Amazon forest is being exploited for timber production. The harvest removes trees, used by sand flies as resting sites, and decreases the canopy, used as refuges by some hosts. The present study evaluated the impact of the timber harvest, the abundance of sand flies, and their trypanosomatid infection rates before and after selective logging. The study was accomplished in terra-firme production forest in an area of timber harvest, state of Amazonas, Brazil. Sand fly catches were carried out in three areas: one before and after the timber harvest, and two control areas, a nature preservation area and a previously exploited area. The flies were caught by aspiration on tree trunks. Samples of sand flies were dissected for parasitological examination. In the site that suffered a harvest, a larger number of individuals was caught before the selective extraction of timber, showing significant difference in relation to the number of individuals and their flagellate infection rates after the logging. The other two areas did not show differences among their sand fly populations. This fact is suggestive of a fauna sensitive to the environmental alterations associated with selective logging.

Lutzomyia georgii n. sp. and the female of L. tarapacaensis in the Series infraspinosa of the subgenus Evandromyia are described, from specimens collected in rainforest in the north of the State of Pará, Brazil. The new species was taken together with five other Evandromyia species including L. infraspinosa (sensu strictu) in the same locality. L. georgii has previously been confused with both L. begonae and L. infraspinosa, whereas L. tarapacaensis would run to L. infraspinosa in recent taxonomic keys. The fact that both L. georgii and L. tarapacaensis are locally sympatric with L. infraspinosa helps to clarify the taxonomic limits of the latter species. New keys to the subgenus Evandromyia are provided.

Forty-six species of Lutzomyia and one species of Brumptomyia were identified among 20,008 sand flies collected in central Amapá. L. squamiventris maripaensis, L. infraspinosa, L. umbratilis and L. ubiquitalis accounted for 66% of the specimens caught in light traps, and L. umbratilis was the commonest of the 16 species found on tree bases. Seven species of Lutzomyia including L. umbratilis were collected in a plantation of Caribbean pine. Sixty out of 511 female sand flies dissected were positive for flagellates. Among the sand flies from which Leishmania was isolated, promastigotes were observed in the salivary glands and foregut of 13 out of 21 females scored as having very heavy infections in the remainder of the gut, reinforcing the idea that salivary gland invasion may be part of the normal life cycle of Leishmania in nature. Salivary gland infections were detected in specimens of L. umbratilis, L. whitmani and L. spathotrichia. Parasites isolated from L. umbratilis, L. whitmani and also from one specimen of L. dendrophyla containing the remains of a bloodmeal, were compatible with Le. guyanensis by morphology and behaviour in hamsters.

Lutzomyia derelicta n. sp. is described from specimens collected in an isolated xeric habitat in the rainforest in the north of the State of Pará, Brazil. The new species lacks the posterior bulge in the dorsal wall of the cibarium characteristic of the New World genus Lutzomyia, and the armature of the male genitalia is of the pattern found elsewhere only in the Old World species of Sergentomyia. L. derelicta is phenetically intermediate between the known species of Lutzomyia and Sergentomyia, and cannot readily be placed in any existing subgenus or species group of either genus.

Thirty-five species of Lutzomyia and two species of Brumptomyia were identified among 795 phlebotomines taken in light-traps near the upper reaches of the middle Rio Negro. The subgenus Psychodopygus predominated in number of species (11) and relative abundance (74-81% in light trap samples from the forest and 99% on human bait). For many of the species these records help to fill large gaps on current maps of distribution, and for others (L. olmeca nociva, L. mangabeirana, L. triacantha) the findings represent a significant expansion of their known range. A new species in the subgenus Psychodopygus (L. douradoi) is described from both sexes, and L. bettinii is recorded for the first time in Brazil.

Adultos de Rhodnius prolixus, R. pictipes e Panstrongylus geniculatus encontrados em casas em Manaus apresentam altas taxas de infecção por Trypanosoma cruzi. Rhodnius spp não apresentavam sazonalidade acentuada, porém os encontros de machos de P. geniculatus eram muito mais freqüentes na estação seca.

Adults of Rhodnius prolixus, R. pictipes and Panstrongylus geniculatus found in houses in Manaus have high rates of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Rhodnius spp. were found throughout the year, but males of P. geniculatus were significantly more frequent in the dry season.

Vinte e oito amostras de Histoplasma capsulatum foram obtidas de oito espécies de mamíferos silvestres nos Estados do Amazonas, Pará e Rondônia. Os isolamentos foram feitos mediante inoculação de amostras trituradas de fígado e baço em hamsters por via intradérmica e intraperitoneal. O diagnóstico micológico nos hamsters que apresentaram lesões foi confirmado por histopatologia e cultivo em meio dextrose-agar de Sabouraud. Os hamsters infectados desenvolveram sinais de doença após dois a nove meses; todos apresentaram lesões disseminadas nas vísceras e a maioria apresentou também lesões cutâneas nos locais da inoculação. Nenhum dos hamsters inoculados com material de pele dos hospedeiros originais desenvolveu histoplasmose, e H. capsulatum não foi detectado nos exames histopatológicos dos animais silvestres. A prevalência de infecção foi consideravelmente mais alta entre fêmeas, tanto para Didelphis marsupialis como para o total de animais silvestres examinados (479). Propõe-se que as infecções detectadas em animais arborícolas podem ser explicadas pelo transporte de esporos do fungo em correntezas convectivas dentro de árvores ocas que tenham uma abertura ao nível do solo e outra a nível proximo das copas.

Twenty-eight isolates of Histoplasma capsulation were obtained from eight species of forest mammals from the States of Amazonas, Pará and Rondônia in the Amazon Region of Brazil. Primary isolates were obtained by inoculating triturated liver and spleen tissue intradermally and intraperito-neally in hamsters. Mycological diagnosis in hamsters presenting lesions was confirmed by histopathology and culture on Sabouraud dextrose-agar. Infected hamsters developed signs of disease within two to nine months; all had disseminated visceral lesions and most also had skin lesions at the sites of inoculation. None of the hamsters inoculated with skin macerates of the original hosts developed histoplasmosis, and histopathological examination of the viscera of the wild hosts failed to reveal H. capsulation. Prevalence of infection was considerably higher in females than in males both for the opossum Didelphis marsupialis and for total wild animals (479) examined. It is proposed that canopy-dwelling mammals may acquire the infection from conidia borne on convective currents in hollow trees with openings at ground-level.

Fifty-two species of Lutzomyia sand flies were identified in contemporaneous samples totalling only 1875 individuals, collected at the same site in tall primary terra-firme rainforest, near the south bank of the Solimões River. The most abundant species belonged to the subgenera Trichophoromyia and Nyssomyia. The subgenera Psathyromyia, Nyssomyia and Psychodopygus represented the greatest number of species. A new, aberrant species of the subgenus Psathyromyia (L. cultellata) and the female of Lu. souzacastroi are described. The Phlebotominae are proposed as a suitable indicator group for biogeographic and diversity studies.

Comprovou-se o "ataque" de triatomineos silvestres (Rhodnius brethesi) a colhedores de piaçava (Leopoldinia piaçaba), em piaçabal na localidade de Acuquaia, no Rio Padauari, afluente do Rio Negro, no Município de Barcelos, Estado do Amazonas, onde em trabalho anterior verificamos uma prevalência sorológica para anticorpos anti-T. cruzi em 12,5% da população na sede do município, com uma forte associação do contato dessa população com triatomineos silvestres, conhecidos na área como "piolho da piaçava", os quais vivem predominantemente nas piaçabeiras. O "ataque " de triatomineos a populações humanas foi possivelmente o mecanismo inicial de abordagem dos triatomineos ao homem, adaptando-se posteriormente ao seu peridomicílio e domicílio, principalmente em áreas desmaiadas ou de cerrado com poucos reservatórios silvestres. No caso do Amazonas, relatado neste trabalho, os triatomineos estavam provavelmente famintos por escassez de outros animais de sangue quente para sua alimentação.

An "attack" of wild triatomines (Rhodnius brethesi) topiaçaca workers (Leopoldinia piaçaba) is confirmed in the locality of Acuquaia, at Padauari river, affluent of Rio Negro in the municipality of Barcelos, State of Amazonas, Brazil. A serological prevalence of 12.5% for T. cruzi antibodies in human population, in the city of Barcelos, has already been described in a previous paper. A strong association between the serological positivity and the population contact with wild triatomines, known in the area as "piaçava's lice", was verified.