3. Phlebotamidae (sand flies)
3.1. Introduction

Adult flies also called sand flies

Order: Diptera

Family : Psychodidae (Phlebotomine sandflies)

Sub family: Phlebotiminae

Genus: Phlebotomus (Sand fly)

700 species so far discibed
Introduction…

generas:
1. Phlebotomus (only in old world: semi – arid &
savannah areas in preference to forests)
2. Lutzomyia (only in the new world tropics: in
forested areas of Central & South America)
3.Sergentomyia (only in old world: especially Indian
Sub – region, also in Africa & Central Asia)
4.Brumptomyia (new world)
Introduction…

Only Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia are more
important


they suck blood & are vectors of disease
A few species of Sergentomyia bite people, but
they are not disease vectors.
3.2. Morphology
1. Adult

Very minute in size (2-4mm) & hairy

Pale (sandy) in color

Body (head, thorax & abdomen) and wings
covered with dense long hairs
Morphology...

Head carries:

2 dark big compound eyes

2 long antennae (16 segements) ,with short hairs
& similar in male and female

2 maxillary palps (5 segments) bent over the
proboscis

Short proboscis adapted for piercing & sucking
Morphology...

Thorax : humped (humpback) and carries

3 pairs of legs (long and slender)

One pair of hairy wings erect over the body, when the fly is
at rest

Abdomen:

Slender in the male with straight outline, ending in a pair of
claspers

Bulging in the female with convex outline ending in a pair of
cerci
Morphology...
Morphology...
2. Egg

Elongate ovoid, dark and ornamented

Minute(0.3-0.4mm)

deposited in small cracks, holes in the ground ,
at base of termite mounds/hills,in poultry houses
, etc

Laid singly (30 – 70 eggs at each oviposition)

require a moist microhabitat with a high humidity
Morphology...
4. Larva : have 4 instars

mature larva is 3-6 mm long and has a well-defined black
head

Divided into head, thorax (3 segments) and abdomen (9
segments)

All segments including head carry serrated (matchstick)
hairs


The abdomen has pseudopods
mainly scavengers, feeding on organic matter, such as
fungi, decaying forest leaves, semi-rotting vegetation,
animal faeces and decomposing bodies of arthropods
Morphology...
4. Pupa

Composed of cephalothorax and abdomen

The antenna has a long antennal sheath

The larval skin is attached to the posterior end
PHLEBOTOMINE PUPA WITH LAST LARVAL SKIN AND CAUDAL HAIR
3.3. Life cycle
Adult Male
and female
mate
The 4th larva moults to
give the pupa (moves
but does not feed)
Pupa period 1-2 weeks
Larva moult 3
times giving 4
larval stages
(instars)
Reqiure 3-8
weeks
Fertilized female
need blood for egg
development
The female lay eggs
in damp areas, in
cracks or holes in
walls or gound
Larva
comes
out
within 610days
3.4. Adult behaviour

Only females feed blood
 humans

and other vertebrates
Biting is usually restricted to crepuscular & nocturnal
periods but also in darkened rooms at day time

Most are exophagic but some are endophagic
Adult behaviour …

Diurnal resting places: dark, cool and humid
microhabitat
 Includes
: caves, cracks in walls , rocks ,soil , tree hole,
animal burrows, human & animal shelter

Adults are weak fliers, fly not more than few hundred
meters( seldom exceed 2km)
 Have a characteristic hopping type flight

Air movement affects the activity of adult flies
Adult behaviour…

Sensitive to temperature and are drawn to
human and other animals with high temperature

Unable to bite through clothing's
3.5. Medical importance
1. Annoyance

In previously sensitized people their bites may result in
severe and almost intolerable irritations, a condition
known in the Middle East as harara
2. Leishmaniasis
Most important or proven vectors of Leishmania in the Old World
Parasite &
disease
VL, kalaazar
Causative
organism
L. donovani
L. infantum
L. chagasi
Proven vectors
Principal areas
P. orientalis
P. argentipes
P. martini
P. celiae
P. alexandri
P. ariasi
P. kandelaki
P. langeroni
P. longicuspis
P. neglectus
P. perfiliewi
P. perniciosus
P. chinensis
P. tobbi
Lu. longipalpis
Sudan, Ethiopia, S.Arabia
Indian Subcont.
Kenya, Ethiopia
Kenya, Ethiopia
China
W.Mediterranean
Iran, Afghanistan
Egypt
N.Africa
Mediterranean
Italy, Mediterranean & N. Africa
Mediterranean
China
E. Mediterranean
C. & S. America (Brazil,
Colombia, etc…)
CL
L. tropica
P. sergenti
P. saevus
P. guggisbergi
P. rossi
CL
L. major
L. aethiopica
P. Papatasi
P. duboscqi
P. salehi
P. caucasicus
P. alexandri
P. ansari
P. longipes
P. pedifer
Middle East, N. Africa, Indian
subcont, Ethiopia)
Ethiopia
Kenya
Namibia
N. Africa, Sudan, Middle East, C.
Asia, Indian Subcont.
W. Africa, Kenya & Ethiopia
NW India, Iran
Iran, Central Asia
Turkmenistan
Iran
Ethiopia
Ethiopia & Kenya
Most important or proven vectors of Leishmania in the New World
CL
L. mexicana
Lu. olmeca
Lu. ayacuchenensis
Central America
Ecuador
CL
L. amazonenensis Lu. falviscutellata
CL
L. braziliensis
Lu. wellcomei,
Lu. complexus
Lu. whitmani
Lu. ovallesi
Lu. carrerai
Amazon basin (Brazil,
etc…)
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Venezuella
Bolivia
CL
L. panamensis
Lu. trapidoi
Panama, Colombia
CL
L. guyanensis
Lu. umbratilis
Lu. anduzei
N. Brazil, Guiana, Colombia
N. Brazil, Guiana
CL
L. peruviana
Lu. verrucarum
Peru
Medical importance …
3. Bartonelliosis
 Oroya fever or Carrio’n’s disease or Peruvian
verruga
 mainly
occur in mountainous areas of south
America
 bartonella
bacilliforms
 transmitted
by lutzomiya spp.
Medical importance …
4. Sand fly Fever
 Sandfly fever or papataci fever or three – day fever:
mild viral fever


Mainly in the Mediterranean region, but also extends
up the Nile into Egypt and the Middle East
P. papatasi
3.6.
Control

Filling cracks in walls and ground

Insecticides against larvae and adults

Screen and nets(preferably impregnated with
pyrethroids

Repellents
e.g. N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide(DEET),
Dimethylphthalate (DIMP)