A probable hybrid female Psychodopygus sp. (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) specimen from Amazonas State, Brazil

¹ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Diversidade Biológica – ICB, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, AM, Brazil.

¹ Instituto de Biologia – ICB, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, AM, Brazil.

² Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia – Centro de Pesquisas Leônidas e Maria Deane, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Manaus, AM, Brazil.

*Autor de correspondencia: afariajosedeoliveira@gmail.com

SUMMARY

Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of several important etiological agents. Sand fly cibaria and genitalia exhibit morphological characters that are essential for species identification. A morphologically anomalous female sand fly of the subgenus Psychodopygus Mangabeira was found in a faunistic survey of a forested area near Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil. This specimen possesses two pairs of spermathecae and a cibarium with supernumerary rows of teeth. Most morphological anomalies in sand flies occur in the number and arrangement of spines in structures associated with the male genitalia. In females, the number of cibarial teeth is the most common form of anomaly. The specimen described here constitutes a rare anomalous record.

Key words: leishmaniasis, morphological abnormalities, sandflies, taxonomy

Un híbrido probable en una hembra Psychodopygus sp. (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) en el estado de Amazonas, Brasil

RESUMEN

Los flebótomos son importantes vectores de varios agentes etiológicos. En flebótomos, los caracteres morfológicos del cibario y la genitália, son esenciales para la correcta identificación de las especies. Una hembra morfológicamente anómala del subgénero Psychodopygus Mangabeira, fue encontrada en un levantamiento faunístico en un área de bosque cerca de Manaus, estado de Amazonas, Brasil. Este espécime tiene dos pares de espermatecas y un cibario como hileras de dientes supranumerários. La mayoria de las anomalías morfológicas en los flebótomos ocurre en el número y disposición de las espinas en las estruturas de la genitália masculina. En las hembras, el número de dientes del cibario es la forma mas común de anomalía. El espécimen aqui descrito constituye un raro registro de anomalía.

Palabras clave: leishmaniosis, anomalías morfológicas, flebótomos, taxonomía

Recibido el 20/01/2016 Aceptado el 10/04/2016

Pinto et al., 2010. Neotrop. Entomol. 39: 732-735).Abnormalities may cause insects to be misidentified, and correct identification is important because some species are vectors of leishmaniasis.

Normally,female sandflies possess a single pair of spermathecae(McAlpine, 1981. Canada: Res. Branch Agric. 1: 9-63). Ogusuku& Pérez, 1994 (Acta Amazon. 24: 317-320) found a supernumerary spermathecae in a specimen of Psychodopygus carrerai Barretto, and the absence of spermathecae in a specimen of P. amazonensis Root. The abnormal female described here exhibits anomalies in both the cibarium and the spermathecae. According to the keys proposed by Young & Duncan, 1994 (Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 54: 1-881), the arrangement of cibarial teeth is similar to that of P. arthuri Fonseca, 1936; additionally,the strong pigmentation of the thorax and pleura, and the characteristics of one pair

of spermathecae could cause this specimen to be misidentified as P. ayrozai Barretto & Coutinho. This may be the first record of combined cibarium and spermathecae teratologies present in a single female sand fly. Due to these abnormalities, the specimen could not be identified at species level.