Molecular Divergence in the period Gene Between Two Putative Sympatric Species of the Lutzomyia longipalpis Complex

Abstract

There is mounting evidence that the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) (Lutz and Neiva 1912), the main vector of the visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America, is a complex of sibling species (Lanzaro et al. 1993 ; Dujardin et al. 1997 ; Lampo et al. 1999 ; Uribe 1999 ; Arrivillaga and Feliciangeli 2001 ; Soto et al. 2001 ). But, the evidence for Brazilian populations is still contradictory. Crossing experiments, pheromonal (Ward et al. 1983 , 1988 ; Hamilton et al. 1999a , 1999b ), copulation songs (Souza et al. 2002 ) and molecular analyses (Bauzer et al. 2002 ) all support the idea of a species complex and seem to confirm the data obtained for other populations of this species. But work with isoenzyme loci suggests that although it is a highly polymorphic and geographically variable species, L. longipalpis should not be considered a species complex in Brazil (Mukhopadhyay et al. 1998b ; Mutebi et al. 1999 ; Azevedo et al. 2000 ).