The transmission of suprapylarian Leishmania by bite of experimentally infected sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae)

Lutzomyia furcata transmitted Leishmania chagasi to a hamster 10 days after being experimentally fed on an infected spleen. An individual female Psychodopygus carrerai carrerai that had fed on a hamster lesion caused by Leishmania mexicana amazonensis transmitted this parasite 6 days later to another hamster. Transmission electron microscopy of this fly's head revealed a small number of degenerate promastigotes in the foregut, but only a few were attached.

Identification of vector species (Diptera: Simuliidae) of human onchocerciasis in the Amazonia focus of Brazil and Venezuela

The taxonomic status of three Amazonian simuliid species, Simulium guianese Wise, S. oyapockense Floch & Abonnenc and S. yarzabali Ramirez Perez is reviewed. Simulium cuasisanguineum Ramirez Perez, Yarzabal & Peterson is synonymized with S. oyapockense, and S. yarzabali is revalidated from its synonymy with S. incrustatum Lutz. The role of these three species in the transmission of human onchocerciasis and mansonelliasis in Amazonia is reviewed.

Aspectos ecológicos da leishmaniose tegumentar americana: 5. Estratificação da atividade espacial e estacional de Phlebotominae (Diptera, Psychodidae) em áreas de cultura agrícola da região do Vale do Ribeira, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

A composição e estratificação da atividade Phlebotominae desenvolvida numa mata residual e área aberta com intensa atividade agrícola, tomam parte desta investigação. O emprego da armadilha CDC tornou acessivo determinar a fauna local. Treze espécies e um número global de 5.423 indivíduos foram capturados. Os pontos situados no ecótono foram os que apresentaram maiores rendimentos, com destaque para P. intermedius, L. migonei e L. fischeri. Desse modo, os resultados levam acreditar serem portadoras de hábito acrodendrófilo. Por outro lado, quando o resultado global foi agrupado segundo o sexo masculino e feminino, o primeiro foi predominante. A análise da distruição estacional dessas espécies citadas revelou claramente picos de atividades mais elevados, bi e tri-modal, para diferentes estações. Na estação outono, P. intermedius teve atividade quase exclusivamente ao nível do solo. Esta exclusividade praticamente se estendeu aos locais de coleta situados em campo aberto.

Description of Lutzomyia (Coromyia) disneyi, n. sp. (Diptera: Psychodidae-Phlebotominae) from Belize, Central America

The commonest sand fly in limestone caves in Belize, Central America, previously, referred to as Lutzomyia beltrani (Belize form), is described as Lutzomyia (Coromyia) disneyi n. sp.

Phlébotomes de Bolivie: VI. Description de Lutzomyia (Trichopygomyia) gantieri n.sp. (Diptera, Psychodidae)

Les auteurs décrivent le mâle et la femelle d'une nouvelle espèce de phlébotome non anthropophile, appartenant au sous-genre Trichopygomyia Barreto, 1962 Lutzomyia gantieri n.sp., très proche de L. elegans Martins, Llanos et Silva 1976.

Occurrences of flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) on human cadavers in Switzerland, and their importance as forensic indicators.

From 1993 to 2008, criminal investigations were conducted in the western part of Switzerland with special attention to blowfly and flesh fly species in order to estimate the post-mortem interval when requested by the police authorities. Flesh flies were found in only 33 cases out of 160. Five species of the genus Sarcophaga were identified (S. africa, S. argyrostoma, S. caerulescens, S. similis and S. sp.). The main species found on corpses (larval stage) was S. argyrostoma. The thermal constant (K) calculated for this species in Switzerland is 380.6 ± 16.3 (mean ± S.D.) degree-days. With the exception of S. caerulescens, found three times in the larval stage on corpses, the three other species are of minor forensic importance. S. argyrostoma is found during summer and indoors. This species colonises dead bodies, usually the same day as blowfly species, and it could be used to estimate the post-mortem interval. Other species are discussed in the light of current knowledge on their biology and ecology. It is recommended that voucher material be deposited in a museum, allowing further studies by relevant specialists, thereby helping investigators and avoiding misidentifications.

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.

Influence of larval and pupal products on the oviposition behavior of Aedes Fluviatilis (Lutz) (Diptera: Culicidae)

Several larval and pupal products of Aedes fluviatilis (Lutz) were tested for their influence on the oviposition behaviour of females of the same species. Significant (alfa = 0,05) atractiveness was shown by: larval water, previously containing 5 to 15 larvae/1,5 ml; larval water, preserved up to 38 days; evaporate and reconstructed larval water extracts up to 2 years after production and water filtered through fresh or dried ground larvae. hexanic larval water extracts and water filtered through fresh or dired ground pupae did not influence oviposition.

Phlebotominae de Venezuela: descripción de la hembra Lutzomyia amilcari (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)

Es dada una descripción de la hembra de Lutzomyia amilcari, que fué colectada en Cubiro, Municipio Diego de Lozada, Estado Lara. El macho de la misma especie fué descrito anteriormente (Arredondo, 1984).

Old and new neotropical sarcophagidae (Diptera)

Cattasoma mcalpinei n. sp., Sarothromyia indivisa Lopes, Tolucamyia schrameli (Dodge) and Eucelimyia palenguensis n. sp., from México; Aphelomyia welchi (Hall) from Jamaica; Thomazomyia adunca n. sp. from Ecuadro; Eucelimyia aurigena Lopes from Chile and Thomazomyia fluminensis n. sp. from Brazil, are studied.

Scanning electron microscopy of the egg and the first instar larva of Dermatobia hominis (Diptera, cuterebridae)

The egg and the first instar larva of Dermatobia hominis were described based on observation with a scanning electron microscope.