Follicular development and parity in phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae)

Ovaries of laboratory-reared Phlebotomus papatasi , Lutzomyia longipalpis , and L. anthophora were examined to determine rates of autogenous or anautogenous oocyte development and to describe morphological changes in ovarioles before and after ovulation. Females of P. papatasi , having origins in India and Israel, produced eggs autogenously within 6 days after eclosion. If suitable hosts were available, these insects would also ingest blood during the 1st gonotrophic cycle. Females of both Lutzomyia species developed eggs 3-6 days after a blood meal. Dissections of 491 P. papatasi females, collected from human dwellings and animal shelters in Iran, revealed predominantly nulliparous specimens (94%) with oocytes at or beyond stage III in 161 individuals (33%). Of these, 87 (54%) had vertebrate blood in their midguts. Follicular relics were observed in both colonized and field-collected females.