Morphological and Molecular Identification of Sandfly Species (Diptera: Psychodidae) and the Bio-Ecology of Cutaneous Lesheimaniasis Vectors in Erbil Province, Iraq

Phlebotomine sandflies are an important group of insects from a medical perspective that are responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis. The phenotypic and genotypic investigation of species of sand flies (Al-Harms) as the vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis was conducted in the Erbil province-Iraq for the first time between January and December 2022. Out of 2054 collected samples 1137 (55.4%) were male and 917 (44.6%) were female. statistically, there is no correlation between gender and sandfly species at (P<0.20). Three species were identified as belonging to the genus Phlepotomus: P. papatasi, P. sergenti, and P. Alexandria. P. papatasi was the most common species, with 1163 (15.6%), followed by P. sergenti (598 (29.1%), and P. alexandri 293(14.1%). There were two peaks of seasonal abundance of sand flies, the first peak of the seasonally abundant cutaneous leishmaniasis vectors occurred in May, while the second peak occurred in September, statistically, there is a correlation between the periods and sand fly species at (p<0.00). The city's health system must take the necessary precautions to control sand fly species as the
vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis disease. Controlling the sandflies will be a key to controlling (CL) disease.