OBSERVATIONS ON THE BEHAVIOR OF PHLEBOTOM INES IN FOREST AND DOMICILIARY ENVIRONMENTS IN AN ENDEMIC AREA OF AMERICAN CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Between November 1988 and April 1990, 75,637 phlebotomines were captur ed with the use of Falcao light traps on Palmital farm in the north of Parana State, Brazil. Fifteen species were represented. The percentag e of 95.8% of the insects were captured within the domiciliary area an d the remaining 4.2% in the forest environment. The percentage of 62 w ere captured in one single Falcao light trap installed in a henhouse, where Blancasmya migonei predominated. In all the other traps Psychodo pygus whitmani was predominant. B. migonei, P. whitmani, Pintomyia pes soai, Pintomyia fischeri and Psychodopygus intermedius are highly sign ificant vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis and represented 93 .8% of all phlebotomines captured with 10 Falcao light traps. The mont hly densities of these insects were obtained from one Falcao light tra p installed in a henhouse and increased especially in the warmer and m ore humid months. In the forest environment the phlebotomines were cap tured principally in traps installed about 10 meters above the ground and P. whitmani, B. migonei, P. intermedius, Brumptomyia brumpti, Psyc hodopygus monticola and P. pessoai were the dominant species. The need for information about the epidemiology of American cutaneous leishman iasis calls for further investigation with a view to clarifying the im plications of the relationship between the phlebotomines and domestic animals in the Leishmania cycle of transmission in domiciliary areas.