Sand fly (Phlebotominae) activity and abundance in vertical strata in a tropical dry forest in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Data files
Aug 19, 2025 version files 45.01 KB
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Enviromental_variables.xlsx
14.53 KB
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README.md
2.17 KB
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Sandfly_species.xlsx
28.31 KB
Abstract
The study of the insect vectors dynamics in a vertical forest gradient provides basic information on aspects of their natural history that influence the rate of pathogen transmission. Thus, we analyzed the temporal dynamics of sand fly species along vertical strata of a tropical dry forest in Yucatan, an area previously identified as a transmission hotspot for Leishmania mexicana. We compared the richness and abundance of sand fly species between the underground and canopy stratum. Then, we analyzed their relationship with environmental variables such as temperature and humidity. No significant differences in species diversity and abundance were detected between the two ecotopes. Psathyromyia shannoni and Dampfomyia deleoni were the only species structured in the vertical dimension. Observed diversity in both strata responded similarly across both monthly and seasonal time scales. Data analyses indicated that relative humidity influenced the vertical distribution of Pa. shannoni and Da. deleoni, although the magnitude and direction of this effect varied by species. Psathyromyia shannoni exhibited contrasting responses to relative humidity between the canopy and the understory, independent of sex, suggesting that additional environmental factors not assessed in this study may modulate its vertical structure.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8q7
Description of the data and file structure
Excel files:
- Enviromental_variables.xlsx
- Sandfly_species.xlsx
Descriptions
Environmental variables
- Ecotope: the physical environment in which the specimen was obtained. In this database, the ecotopes are the canopy and understory.
- Hour: The collection period (h) where First (6:00-6:59), Second (7:00-7:59), Third (8:00-8:59), Fourth (9:00-9:59), and Fifth (10:00-11:00).
- Month: The month that the specimen was obtained, where Nov (November), Sep (September), Mar (March), Jun (June), Jul (July), Jan (January), Feb (February), and Apr (April).
- Season: time of the year that specimen was obtained. "Nortes" refers to a season exclusive to the Yucatan Peninsula mainly associated with wind intensity of 11–17 m/s affecting coastal cities of the Gulf of Mexico [1].
- Temperature: Ecotope temperature (°C).
- Relative humidity: Ecotope humidity (%).
Reference:
[1] Cortez-Huerta M., Echeverria RS, Garcia GF, Duran RA, Alvarez PS, Magana V, Retama A. 2023. Influence of particulate matter on air quality due to “Nortes” events in the Gulf of Mexico. Atmospheric Pollution Research 14(10), 101889.
Sandfly species
- ID: The ID assigned to each specimen.
- Genus: Genus identification.
- Specie: Species identification.
- Sex: Sex identification.
- Condition: Gravid or Fed. May contain Not applicable (NA) values due to the absence of the condition.
- Trap: code of the trap. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
- Ecotope: the discrete classes of the physical environment based on the distributions of communities in an ecosystem. In this database, the ecotope could be the canopy and understory.
- Month: The month that the specimen was obtained
- Year: The year that the specimen was obtained
Code/software
None
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- None
Data was derived from the following sources:
- None