The behaviour and dispersal of sandflies in Ras el Naqb, south Jordan with particular emphasis on Phlebotomus kazeruni.

The behaviour and dispersal of sandflies from an enclosed cave were investigated during the summer of 1988 in Ras el Naqb by the mark-release-recapture technique. Nine species of sandflies were reported during this study including 5 Phlebotomus and 4 Sergentomyia species. P. sergenti, P. alexandri, S. adleri/S. clydei and S. taizi were reported for the first time from Jordan. P. kazeruni was the most abundant sandfly species inside the cave. The maximum distance travelled by a single P. kazeruni was 340m. However, the majority were recaptured within 10m of the cave. It seems likely that an independent "population" of sandflies which breeds inside the cave is developing.