Studies on the Phlebotomus fauna of Mount Elgon, Kenya

In a study of sandflies in 229 of 237 caves found on the slopes of Mount Elgon, Kenya, the Phlebotomus (Larroussius) species P. pedifer and P. elgonensis were found distributed at different altitudes. The females of these two species, which were the only ones of the genus Phlebotomus encountered in the study, were morphologically indistinguishable using existing techniques at the time. On the basis of the morphological identification of the males, however, P. pedifer occurred mainly at the lower altitudes (1750-1900 m) while P. elgonensis predominated at higher altitudes (2300-2600 m). The man-biting activities and the presence of promastigotes in the guts of female sandflies were restricted to lower altitudes (below 1900 m), i.e. the area of maximum distribution of P. pedifer and of cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis. This supports the suggestion that P. pedifer is a vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis on Mount Elgon.