Introduction: In Colombia, the diversity of phlebotomine sand flies is high, with 162 recorded species, and which include vectors of Leishmania spp.
Objective: To identify the sand fly species of medically importance in the area of influence from Amoyá River Hydroelectric Project, Colombia.
Materials and methods: Sand flies were collected with CDC light traps, Shannon traps and sticky traps, from 15 villages in Chaparral County,Tolima.
Results: A total of 1,077 adult sand fly specimens were collected. Thirteen species were found in the genus Lutzomyiaand one species in the genus Warileya.Among the Lutzomyia species, three species--Lutzomyia longiflocosa, Lutzomyia columbiana and Lutzomyia nuneztovari--are important for their epidemiological history.Lutzomyia suapiensis was a new record for Colombia, and Warileya rotundipennis was recorded for the first time in Tolima.
Conclusions: This study contributed to an increased knowledge of Colombian sand flies in terms of (1) expanding the geographical distribution of members of the subfamily Phlebotominae, (2) gaining estimates of species-richness and species associations in central Colombia, and (3) providing a better understanding of epidemiology of leishmaniasis in the Chaparral area.