Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pressatia choti is a common sand fly found in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, which is suspected to be involved in the transmission of Leishmania braziliensis. Herein, we aimed to establish a Pr. choti laboratory colony. METHODS: Wild-caught female sand flies were blood fed on hamsters and maintained under controlled conditions (temperature: 26 °C; relative humidity: 70%). RESULTS: Of the 301 collected female sandflies, 288 were identified as Pr. choti. The life cycle duration ranged from 31 to 56 days. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully established a Pr. choti colony, whose biological parameters were similar to those of other neotropical sand flies.