Disney Trap Attractiveness for the Cortelezzii Series (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) in a Fishing Tourism Area, Bonito Municipality, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

Sand fly fauna is frequently sampled using automatic light or Shannon traps, yet few studies have been devoted to investigating the effectiveness of Disney traps baited with live animals as an attractant. This study sought to identify the phlebotomine fauna attracted to Disney traps having hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) as bait. A hamster-baited Disney trap was installed in a gallery forest located in Águas do Miranda District, Bonito Municipality, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, from November 2011 to October 2012. A total of 717 phlebotomines were collected, in which male (251) and female (463) specimens of the Cortelezzii series (Diptera: Psychodidae) predominated (99%). Males were attracted from January to July, whereas the females were predominantly attracted from January to May. No significant correlation was observed between the monthly climatic averages of temperature, rains and humidity, and the numbers of insects collected. Although these findings showed the attractiveness of both sexes of the species of the Cortelezzii series to golden hamsters, further studies are needed to investigate the blood meal preferences of these females to other rodents. As rodents have been reported as reservoirs of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), research using live-baited traps can reveal feeding preferences of sand flies and the importance of various rodent species in the zoonotic cycle.