Field Studies on the Feeding Habits and Diurnal Shelters of Some Phlebotomus Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Panama1

Abstract

An investigation of the natural hosts of Phlebotomus sandflies was carried out as 1 phase of the search for the reservoir of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Various types of traps baited with live animals were tried, but direct collecting from caged animals gave far better results. The 8 species represented in the catch of more than 600 female Phlebotomus were all common, man-biting species. The range of hosts was wide and included sloths, opossums, kinkajous, and chickens. Although no clear-cut host preferences were demonstrated, the kinkajou (Potos flavus) was consistently the most attractive to sandflies. A study of natural cavities used as diurnal shelters and of some artificial cavities set out to test their attractiveness to sandflies, seemed to indicate that sandflies are attracted to cavities only when they can serve as feeding or breeding sites.