[Ecology of leishmaniasis in the south of France. 15. The gonotrophic cycles in nature of Phlebotomus ariasi and P. mascittii in the Cévennes. Epidemiological significance (author's transl)].

The number of gonotrophic cycles of phlebotomine sandflies in a leishmaniasis focus in the Cévennes was determined by the examination of the ovaries. The method was to count the number of dilatations on the ovariolar stalks which showed how many times the females had laid eggs. It was found that females of P. ariasi undergo at least three gonotrophic cycles. From mid-June at the beginning of the season, until the middle of August the proportion of parous females was low. After this time until the end of the season in mid-September, the frequency of 2 parous and 3 parous individuals steadily rose. It is concluded that the end of the summer is the period of maximum risk for the transmission of leishmaniasis in this focus.