The Effects of Different Lunar Phases on Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) Biodiversity in an Important Focus of Leishmaniasis, Southeast Iran.

Background: Anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) caused by Leishmania tropica is endemic in most parts of Iran; however, its vector ecology has not been extensively studied. This study investigates the effects of lunar phases and climatic factors on the biodiversity and frequency of sand flies in various biotopes, with and without artificial light.

Methods: Sand flies were collected using sticky paper traps in four lunar phases (new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter). Alpha and beta diversity indices were calculated using the relevant formulas. Poisson regression analysis was used to study the relationship between lunar phases and climatic factors with the sand fly frequency.

Results: In places with artificial light, the highest richness was observed in the new moon and the first quarter (S= 7), and the highest species evenness and Shannon-Wiener indices were observed in the last quarter (E= 0.464, H= 0.832) phases. But in areas without artificial light, the maximum value of richness was in the first quarter and full moon (S= 9), and the highest value of evenness and Shannon-Wiener was in the first quarter (E= 0.748, H= 1.645). Non-parametric tests revealed that among climatic factors, only wind speed exhibited a significant correlation with sand fly frequency.

Conclusion: The highest diversity in biotopes with and without artificial light was observed in the last quarter and first quarter, respectively, and also, wind speed influenced the frequency and diversity of sand flies in different habitats, so in sand fly surveillance, it is crucial to consider these important factors.