Canine American visceral leishmaniasis and American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) cases have been recorded in Espírito Santo do Pinhal. The aim of this study was to gather knowledge of the sand fly community and its population ecology within the municipality. Captures were made weekly over a period of 15 months in the urban, periurban and rural areas of the municipality, using automatic light traps. A total of 5,562 sand flies were collected, comprising 17 species. The most abundant species were
Nyssomyia whitmani
and
Pintomyia pessoai
in the rural area,
Lutzomyia longipalpis
and
Ny. whitmani in the periurban area and
Lu. longipalpis in the urban area. The highest species richness and greatest index species diversity were found in the rural area. The similarity index showed that urban and periurban areas were most alike.
Lu. longipalpis was found in great numbers during both dry and humid periods. The presence of dogs infected with
Leishmania infantum chagasi
in the urban area indicates a high risk for the establishment of the disease in the region. A high abundance of
Ny. whitmani and
Pi. pessoai in the rural and periurban areas indicates the possibility of new cases of ACL occurring in and spreading to the periurban area of Espírito Santo do Pinhal.
