As part of an epidemiological study on leishmaniasis in Merida, Venezuela, the diversity and dispersion of sandflies species found in 15 localities between 175 m and 1,960 m.a.s.l., are presented. From 7,126 collected sandflies (5,132 men and 1,994 women), 24 species were identified, 10 of them recognized as anthropophilic. The relation species-altitud is presented, and the species composition found in human dwellings, peridomestic and sylvatic areas, are recorded. The possible rôle of the identified species on the transmission of leishmaniasis in the andean region, is discussed.
phlebotomine sandflies; diversity; dispersion; leishmaniasis; transmission; epidemiology