Distribución espacial de Anopheles pseudopunctipennis en las Yungas de Salta, Argentina

OBJETIVO: Comparar la abundancia de Anopheles pseudopunctipennis, y otros anofelinos, en tres zonas silvestres y modificadas por el hombre, a fin de verificar en qué medida tales diferencias ambientales afectan la distribución espacial de estos mosquitos. MÉTODOS: Se realizaron muestreos mensuales (diciembre de 2001 a diciembre de 2002), con trampas de luz CDC con CO2, en cada sitio de muestreo (selva, borde de selva y peridomicilio). En el peridomicilio, además, dos operadores aspiraron mosquitos posados sobre las paredes. Se estimaron índices de diversidad y abundancia de especies, y se intentó caracterizar a los ambientes estudiados mediante ANOVA, cálculo de cosenos y análisis de agrupamientos. RESULTADOS: Anopheles pseudopunctipennis fue la especie más abundante. Se colectaron también An. argyritarsis, An. nuneztovari, An. rangeli y An. strodei. Excepto An. nuneztovari que no se capturó en el peridomicilio, las demás se colectaron en los tres ambientes. No hubo diferencias en los índices de diversidad, ni tampoco entre los ambientes estudiados; sin embargo, el análisis de agrupamiento separó el borde de la selva, donde todas las especies fueron más abundantes en general. CONCLUSIONES: El borde de la selva fue el ambiente que presentó la mayor abundancia, representando, además del peridomicilio, un ambiente de alto riesgo para la transmisión del paludismo.

Dieta de Mazama gouazoubira (Mammalia, Cervidae) en un ambiente secundario de Yungas, Argentina

The trophic spectrum of the Brown brocket deer, Mazama gouazoubira Fischer, 1814, was analyzed between September 1993 to February 1994, in a secondary environment of Yungas, Argentina and in semicaptivity conditions. Seventy three vegetable species and two fungi species were recorded. It was registered also the consumption of ticks, salt, land, bricks and scats of another animals. The main vegetable parts consumed in order of importance were young leaves and outbreaks (green parts), fruit and flowers.

Active surveillance of American tegumentary leishmaniasis in endemic areas in rural Bolivia

INTRODUCTION: American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL), including mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) and localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL), is endemic in Bolivia. We describe the results of active surveillance of ATL from 2001 to 2006 and assess demographic data related to ATL epidemiology in the Yungas valleys. METHODS: Community-based active ATL surveillance was performed by the institutions SERVIR, CÁRITAS, and the Health Services Department of La Paz, whose files were reviewed retrospectively. A cross-sectional survey was carried out to assess demographic data in two communities. RESULTS: Two thousand nine hundred nine cases of ATL were detected from 2001 to 2006: 2,488 (85.5%) corresponded to LCL and 421 (14.5%) to MCL. A reduction in the proportion of mucosal cases was observed between 2001 and 2006. The proportion of MCL cases increased with age and was higher among males (15.5% versus 12.1%, p=0.018). The rate of positivity via direct observation of the parasite in dermal scrapings and in parasite cultivation was significantly higher for LCL than for MCL (p<0.001 and p=0.009, respectively). The rate of reactivity in the leishmanin skin test was higher in the group with mucosal lesions (p=0.012). The cross-sectional survey showed that 40% of the families had emigrated from the Altiplano. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to undertake continuous case detection of ATL in the area, where the disease presents a high rate of mucosal cases. Increasing incidence seems to be associated with immigration and continuous deforestation to expand the crop-growing areas.

Description of two new species of Plesiopelma (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Theraphosinae) from Argentina

Two new species of Plesiopelma Pocock, 1901 from northern Argentina are described and diagnosed based on males and habitat descriptions are presented. Males of Plesiopelma paganoi sp. nov. differ from most of species by the absence of spiniform setae on the retrolateral face of cymbium, aspect of the palpal bulb. Plesiopelma aspidosperma sp. nov. differs from most species of the genus by the presence of spiniform setae on the retrolateral face of cymbium and it can be distinguished from P. myodes Pocock, 1901, P. longisternale (Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1942) and P. rectimanum (Mello-Leitão, 1923) by the separated palpal bulb keels and basal nodule of metatarsus I very developed. It differs from P. minense (Mello-Leitão, 1943) by the shape of the palpal bulb and basal nodule on metatarsus I well developed. Specimens were captured in Salta province, Argentina, inhabiting high cloud forests of Yungas eco-region.

New genus of Psychodinae (Diptera, Psychodidae) from Argentina

ABSTRACT Adults (male and female) and pupae of Chuspilepia saltenia gen. nov., sp. nov. were collected in tree holes in the Yungas rainforest, near San Ramón de la Nueva Orán city, Salta province, Argentina. It was not possible to place this new species in any known genera using the available keys and published descriptions, thus a new genus is proposed for the Neotropical region of Argentina.

Old and new Andean Sarcophagidae (Diptera)

Species of the genera Notochaeta, Weyrauchimyia, and Udamopyga are redescribed; new species of the latter genus, of Cuculomyia and of Dexomyophora are proposed, all from the Yungas Biological Province of Ecuador. Key to species of Udamopyga is given.

Leishmaniose en Bolivie: IV. Le chien dans les cycles des leishmanioses en Bolivie

En Bolivie le chien domestique est impliqué dans le cycle de la leishmaniose viscérale (Leishmania (Le.) chagasi) das les Yungas (alt. 1,000-2,000 m) et aussi dans le cycle de la leishmaniose tégumetaire (Le. (V.) braziliensis) dans l'Alto Beni (alt. 400-600 m). Mais il joue un rôle différent dans les deux cycles. Il est le prencipal résevoir, peut-être l'unique de Le. (Le.) chagasi dans les Yungas, et la source de contamination de l'home. Dans l'Alto Beni, il n'est seulement qu'une victime, comme l'home, de Le. (V.) braziliensis, dont le réservoir reste inconnu, les soupçons se portant sur des mammifères sauvages.

Phlébotomes de Bolivie: VII. Répartition des deux morphotypes du phlébotome lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz et Neiva, 1912) (Diptera: Psychodidae) dans le piémont andin de Bolivie

Deux morphotypes de Lytzomyia longipalpis (Lutz et Neiva, 1912) ont été décrits au Brésil, l'un avec une seule paire de taches tergales, l'autre avec deux paires de taches. Ce caractère est propre aux mâles. En Bolivie, la forme à une tache existe seule dans le foyer de leishmaniose viscérale des Yungas (alt. 1000-2000 m) dans l'envirionnement péridomicilliaire; c'est le vecteur confirmé de cette maladie. Le second morphotype à deux taches a été récemment découvert sous le porche de grottes dans le région de Cochabamba (alt. 2700 m); il était absent dans et autour des habitations de cette région, où la leishmaniose vicérale est inconnue. Les deux morphotypes de Lu. longipalpis ont, en Bolivie, une distribution allopatrique, et leurs écologies respectives sont très différentes.

Wing geometry as a tool for studying the Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) complex

Toro Toro (T) and Yungas (Y) have been described as genetically well differentiated populations of the Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) complex in Bolivia. Here we use geometric morphometrics to compare samples from these populations and new populations (Bolivia and Nicaragua), representing distant geographical origins, qualitative morphological variation ("one-spot" or "two-spots" phenotypes), ecologically distinct traits (peridomestic and silvatic populations), and possibly different epidemiological roles (transmitting or nor transmitting Leishmania chagasi). The Nicaragua (N) (Somotillo) sample was "one-spot" phenotype and a possible peridomestic vector. The Bolivian sample of the Y was also "one-spot" phenotype and a demonstrated peridomestic vector of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The three remaining samples were silvatic, "two-spots" phenotypes. Two of them (Uyuni and T) were collected in the highlands of Bolivian where VL never has been reported. The last one (Robore, R) came from the lowlands of Bolivia, where human cases of VL are sporadically reported. The decomposition of metric variation into size and shape by geometric morphometric techniques suggests the existence of two groups (N/Y/R, and U/T). Several arguments indicate that such subdivision of Lu. longipalpis could correspond to different evolutionary units.

Two new species and new records of biting midges of the genus Culicoides from northwestern Argentina (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

The following two new species of Culicoides from the Argentinean Yungas are described, illustrated and placed to subgenus or species group and compared with related congeners: Culicoides calchaqui Spinelli & Veggiani Aybar and Culicoides willinki Spinelli & Veggiani Aybar. Culicoides daedaloides Wirth & Blanton is recorded for the first time for Argentina and Culicoides pseudoheliconiae Felippe-Bauer is firstly mentioned from the northwestern region of the country.