Lutzomyia
Encyclopedia
Lutzomyia is a genus of "sand flies" in the Psychodidae
subfamily Phlebotominae
and in the order Diptera
. In the New World
, Lutzomyia sand flies are responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis
, an important parasitic disease and Carrion's disease
. Leishmaniasis is generally transmitted in the Old World
by sand flies of the genus Phlebotomus
. The parasite itself is a species of the genus Leishmania
, a protozoan. The disease normally finds a mammalian reservoir in small animals such as rodents and canids. They can also be common inhabitants of cave
s, where they feed on bat
s. The sand fly carries the leishmania protozoa from infected animals after feeding, thus transmitting the disease.
Only females suck blood, and they produce some hundreds of eggs, which are deposited in dark, humid places, like under stones and rotten leaves. After 2–3 months, they develop through 3 larval instar
s and pupate, then become adults, They usually move by short flights, and only bite parts of the body not covered by clothes.
The genus is known from the extinct Burdigalian
(20-15 mya) species Lutzomyia adiketis
found as a fossil in Dominican amber
on the island of Hispaniola
.
Psychodidae
The nematoceran family Psychodidae are small true flies with short, hairy bodies and wings giving them a "furry" moth-like appearance...
subfamily Phlebotominae
Phlebotominae
Members of the subfamily Phlebotominae are known outside of the United States by the name sand fly. This subfamily includes numerous genera of blood-feeding flies, including the primary vectors of leishmaniasis, bartonellosis and pappataci fever...
and in the order Diptera
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
. In the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, Lutzomyia sand flies are responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
, an important parasitic disease and Carrion's disease
Carrion's disease
Oroya fever or Carrion's Disease is an infectious disease produced by Bartonella bacilliformis infection.It is named for Daniel Alcides Carrión.-History:...
. Leishmaniasis is generally transmitted in the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
by sand flies of the genus Phlebotomus
Phlebotomus
Phlebotomus is a genus of "sand fly" in the Dipteran family Psychodidae. In the past, they have sometimes been considered to belong in a separate family, Phlebotomidae, but this alternative classification has not gained wide acceptance.-Epidemiology:...
. The parasite itself is a species of the genus Leishmania
Leishmania
Leishmania is a genus of Trypanosomatid protozoa, and is the parasite responsible for the disease leishmaniasis. It is spread through sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus in the Old World, and of the genus Lutzomyia in the New World. Their primary hosts are vertebrates; Leishmania commonly infects...
, a protozoan. The disease normally finds a mammalian reservoir in small animals such as rodents and canids. They can also be common inhabitants of cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s, where they feed on bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s. The sand fly carries the leishmania protozoa from infected animals after feeding, thus transmitting the disease.
Only females suck blood, and they produce some hundreds of eggs, which are deposited in dark, humid places, like under stones and rotten leaves. After 2–3 months, they develop through 3 larval instar
Instar
An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt , until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or assume a new form. Differences between instars can often be seen in altered body proportions, colors, patterns, or...
s and pupate, then become adults, They usually move by short flights, and only bite parts of the body not covered by clothes.
The genus is known from the extinct Burdigalian
Burdigalian
The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma...
(20-15 mya) species Lutzomyia adiketis
Lutzomyia adiketis
Lutzomyia adiketis is an extinct species of sandflies in the moth fly subfamily Phlebotominae. L. adiketis is a vector of the extinct Paleoleishmania neotropicum and both species are solely known from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.-History and...
found as a fossil in Dominican amber
Dominican amber
Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic. Resin from the extinct species Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics....
on the island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
.
External links
- CIPA Computer-aided Identification of Phlebotomine sandflies of America
- Lutzomyia shannoni, a sand fly on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
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