List of sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) and spatial distribution of leishmaniasis main vector species in Mato Grosso State, Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To update the sand fly species list (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, and to demonstrate
the spatial distribution of leishmaniasis main vector species in the state. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were obtained
from academic publications on Mato Grosso phlebotomine fauna and entomological reports from the Mato Grosso State
Health Department database from 2006 to 2021. The taxonomic nomenclature of the specimens followed recent updates
by leading researchers in the field. RESULTS: Twenty-six new species were detected in the Mato Grosso phlebotomine
fauna, with 132 species total: six of the genus Brumptomyia and 126 distributed among 16 other genera. The main vectors
of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (Nyssomyia whitmani and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata) and visceral leishmaniasis
(Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis and Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) cruzi) were recorded in all three existing biomes in the
state, especially in Cerrado. CONCLUSION: The phlebotomine fauna of Mato Grosso is one of the richest and most
diversified in the country, with important species in leishmaniasis epidemiology distributed across all three biomes, a
fact that reinforces the significance and necessity of entomological surveys to monitor the occurrence and distribution of
leishmaniasis vectors in the region.