In 298 hours of simultaneous sandfly captures on man, opossum and chicken in the National Park of Serra dos Órgãos, Rio de Janeiro State, 1,155 females of six species of Lutzomyia were obtained, L. ayrosai and L. hirsuta were the most numerous species, both feeding only near the ground, being decidedly anthropophilic and more active between 5 p.m. and midnight. L. fischeri was the dominant species at the canopy, where it fed chiefly on the chicken and from 4 to 5 a.m., although at ground level it fed mostly from 8 to 12 p.m. and preferred man.
sandflies; ecology; National Park of Serra of Órgãos; host preferences