The composition and seasonal occurrence of sandflies were investigated in coffee
agroecosystems in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico. Insect sampling was
performed on three plantations located at different altitudes: Finca Guadalupe Zajú
[1,000 m above sea level (a.s.l.)], Finca Argovia (613 m a.s.l.) and Teotihuacán del
Valle (429 m a.s.l.). Sandflies were sampled monthly from August 2007-July 2008 using
three sampling methods: Shannon traps, CDC miniature light traps and Disney traps.
Sampling was conducted for 3 h during three consecutive nights, beginning at sunset.
A total of 4,387 sandflies were collected during the course of the study: 2,718
individuals in Finca Guadalupe Zajú, 605 in Finca Argovia and 1,064 in Teotihuacán
del Valle. The Shannon traps captured 94.3% of the total sandflies, while the CDC
light traps and Disney traps captured 4.9% and 0.8%, respectively. More females than
males were collected at all sites. While the number of sandflies captured was
positively correlated with temperature and relative humidity, a negative correlation
was observed between sandfly numbers and rainfall. Five species of sandflies were
captured: Lutzomyia cruciata , Lutzomyia texana ,
Lutzomyia ovallesi , Lutzomyia cratifer /
undulata and Brumptomyia sp. Lu.
cruciata , constituting 98.8% of the total, was the most abundant
species. None of the captured sandflies was infected with Leishmania
spp.