The Lifecycle of Phlebotomus argentipes (Diptera: Psychodidae) Sand Fly in a Newly Developed Colony in Bangladesh

Laboratory-established sand fly colonies provide important material for leishmaniasis research; however, the establishment and maintenance of such colonies can be complicated. In this study, a colony of Phlebotomus argentipes (P. argentipes) was established using wild-caught sand flies in Bangladesh by following standard procedures described in the published literature. The colony was initiated in a controlled laboratory environment. A total of 430 female P. argentipes sand flies were collected to develop the colony. Over multiple generations (F0 to F6), 1,034 P. argentipes sand flies laid eggs. The number of eggs that successfully emerged differed significantly between the wild-caught generation and other generations, except for the F1 and F6 generations. A significant difference was observed in the incubation period between wild-caught (F0)…