Evaluation of 1-octen-3-ol and carbon dioxide as attractants for Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in southern Egypt.

The effectiveness of 1-octen-3-ol (octenol) as an attractant for collecting medically important psychodids has never been reported. This study evaluated the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) and octenol released at 2 rates, individually and in combination, as attractants for adult sand flies in a small village in southern Egypt. Four sand fly species were collected: Phlebotomus papatasi, P. sergenti, Sergentomyia palestinensis, and S. schwetzi. Only P. papatasi was collected in numbers sufficient to allow statistical analysis. This study reaffirms that CO2 is an effective attractant for female P. papatasi and also demonstrates that neither male nor female P. papatasi respond to octenol alone. Additionally, no synergistic attractancy for either females or males was observed when CO2 and octenol were combined.