Characteristics of the biological cycle of Lutzomyia evandroi Costa Lima &Antunes, 1936 (Diptera : Psychodidae) under experimental conditions

Lutzomyia evandroi Costa Lima and Antunes, 1936 is found in Rio Grande do N orte, northeastern Brazil, in areas of visceral and mucocutaneous leishmani asis and follows the same geographic distribution of L. longipalpis. The bi ological cycle, oviposition, morphological and behavioral characteristics o f the species were studied under experimental conditions. The average numbe r of eggs per wild caught female varied from 21 to 50 eggs along the year, with apeak occurring between January and March and another in August, with oviposition lasting for 4 to 12 days. The mean larval phase was 24 days. Ov ipositing rates were influenced by rainfall and temperature indexes, with a n increase of eggs per oviposition at the beginning and at the end of the r ainy season, and a decrease at the peak of the rainy season.