Journal Article

Morphological description of Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) veintemillasi n. sp., a new sand fly species from the sub-Andean region of Bolivia

Mihalca, Andrei Daniel, Le Pont, François, Dujardin, Jean-Pierre, Martinez, Eddy, Leon, Renato

2022

Overview

Background Most sand fly species are located in the Americas; some act as vectors of leishmaniasis and other human diseases. In Bolivia, about 25% of Neotropical species have been identified, and only a few have been implicated as vectors of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. A new species of anthropophilic sand fly from the sub-Andean region of Alto Beni is described herein. Methods A large systematic entomological survey was carried out in a subtropical humid forest located in the Marimonos mountain range, at around 900 m altitude, in the municipality of Palos Blancos, Sud Yungas Province, Department of La Paz, Bolivia. Sand flies were captured over a period of 26 months between January 1982 and February 1984, at the ground and canopy level, using both CDC light traps and protected human bait. A total of 24,730 sand flies were collected on the ground, distributed in 16 species, and 3259 in the canopy, with eight species. One of these species was labeled as Pintomia ( Pifanomyia ) nevesi , although certain morphological features allowed us to doubt that it was that taxon. To define the identity of this sand fly, a re-evaluation (this work) was recently carried out through morphological analyses and measurements of the available specimens mounted on Euparal, previously labeled as Pi . ( Pif .) nevesi . Results Based on the morphological traits and measurements, the re-evaluated specimens were definitively identified as a new sand fly species, Pintomyia ( Pifanomyia ) veintemillasi , closely related to Pi . ( Pif .) nevesi and Pintomyia ( Pifanomyia ) maranonensis within the Evansi series. This new sand fly was the third most numerous anthropophilic species at the floor (6.2%) and the second most numerous anthropophilic at the canopy (35.1%). Conclusions A new anthropophilic sand fly species is described as Pi . ( Pif .) veintemillasi n. sp. This sand fly species was caught at about 900 m altitude in the Marimonos mountain range, a highly endemic area for cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis due to Leishmania ( Viannia ) braziliensis . Therefore, this species could be involved in the leishmaniasis transmission in the sub-Andean foothills of Alto Beni, Department of La Paz, Bolivia. Graphical Abstract

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Altitude / Analysis / Andean foothills / Andes region / Baits / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Bolivia / Canopies / Canopy / Causes of / Cryptic species / Diptera / Entomology / Evaluation / Evansi series / Females / Flies as carriers of disease / Foothills / forests / Human diseases / humans / Identification / Identification and classification / Infectious Diseases / insect surveys / Insects as carriers of disease / Leishmania / Leishmaniasis / Light traps / Lutzomyia / Males / Morphology / Mountains / Mucosa / Neotropics / New species / Parasitic diseases / Parasitology / Physiological aspects / Plant cover / sand / Sand flies / species / Surveying / Surveys / Taxonomy / Tropical Medicine / Vector-borne diseases / Vectors / Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science / Virology / Visceral leishmaniasis