In Panama, species of the genus
Lutzomyia
are vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis(ACL). There is no recent ecological information that may be used to develop tools for the control of this disease. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine the composition, distribution and diversity of
Lutzomyia species that serve as vectors of ACL. Sandfly sampling was conducted in forests, fragmented forests and rural environments, in locations with records of ACL.
Lutzomyia gomezi
,
Lutzomyia panamensis
and
Lutzomyia trapidoi
were the most widely distributed and prevalent species. Analysis of each sampling point showed that the species abundance and diversity were greatest at points located in the fragmented forest landscape. However, when the samples were grouped according to the landscape characteristics of the locations, there was a greater diversity of species in the rural environment locations. The Kruskal Wallis analysis of species abundance found that
Lu. gomezi and
Lu. trapidoi were associated with fragmented environments, while
Lu. panamensis,
Lutzomyia olmeca bicolor
and
Lutzomyia ylephiletor
were associated with forested environments. Therefore, we suggest that human activity influences the distribution, composition and diversity of the vector species responsible for leishmaniasis in Panama.
