Occurrence records and metadata for sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) collected in the lands of indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon

To contribute to knowledge of the epidemiology of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) among indigenous people living in sylvatic regions, we studied the sand fly fauna collected in areas of disease transmission in the Brazilian Amazon. Here we report two datasets comprising occurrence data for sand flies from the Suruwaha Indigenous Land in the state of Amazonas collected in 2012–2013, and the Wajãpi Indigenous Land in the state of Amapá collected in 2013–2014. Sand flies were collected using unbaited CDC-like light traps at various sites within each study area and were identified to either genus or species-level by taxonomists with expertise in Amazonian fauna. A total of 4,646 records are reported: 1,428 from the Suruwaha and 3,218 from the Wajãpi. These records will contribute to a better understanding of ACL transmission dynamics, as well as the distribution of insect vectors, in these areas.


DATA DESCRIPTION
Leishmaniases are diseases caused by various species of the protozoan parasite genus Leishmania, which are transmitted between humans, and wild and domestic vertebrate animals, by the bites of blood-feeding female sand flies [1]. In Brazil, American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is an endemic disease, but little is known about its impact on  The different transmission patterns of ACL also make it a difficult disease to control and understand. This is especially true in the Brazilian Amazon, which has the greatest diversity of Leishmania-species parasites, their insect vectors and vertebrate hosts, in the neotropical region [1].
Our two datasets comprised sand fly occurrence data from fieldwork undertaken by the authors during the ACL outbreaks in the SIL and WIL.

Suruwaha dataset
Transmission of ACL south of the Amazon River system is poorly understood [10,11].
Although it has often been stated that human Leishmania infection is either rare or absent south of the Negro and Amazon Rivers [10,12], the incidence of leishmaniasis in humans in some of these areas is equivalent to the incidence north of the Negro and Amazon Rivers [11,13]. Guerra et al. (2011) [14] described the epidemiology of mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) south of the Amazon River, and not only found a high prevalence of this form of the disease, but also a distribution of Leishmania species similar to that found north of the Amazon River. However, the etiologic agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has not been identified, and the source of sylvatic infection and the vectors involved in transmission are not known south of the Amazon River system [10,15].
The Suruwaha is a population of approximately 170 people [16], whose only contact with non-indigenous people is through health workers and members of the Fundação Nacional do Índio (FUNAI), the Brazilian government agency responsible for protecting indigenous people. The Suruwaha live in a remote location, far from urban areas and the manufacture of utensil. Their main activities are agriculture and hunting.
We conducted entomological research within the SIL to contribute to understanding the transmission dynamics of ACL. This research was a response an increase in the number of cases of ACL recorded among the Suruwaha between 2010 and 2012. Our investigation found that this increase was probably related to the distribution of flashlights to the entire community in late 2010, as requested by the Suruwaha themselves. Use of these flashlights led to changes in the Suruwaha's hunting habits, from strictly diurnal to nocturnal, coinciding with the generally crepuscular and nocturnal biting activity of the blood-feeding female sand flies that transmit ACL.
The SIL is remote. Our entomological survey was performed by different teams to take advantage of routine operations by FUNAI. A total of 1,428 sand fly specimens were identified to either genus or species-level. Some specimens could not be identified to species level because they are morphologically indistinguishable, morphological structures were not clearly visible in the slide, or the specimens lost appendages important for morphological identification. Ten genera and 33 species were collected (Table 1), of which the genera Trichophoromyia was predominant (57%), followed by Psychodopygus (20%) and Nyssomyia (5%). Among the most abundant species were T. ubiquitalis (25%), T. octavioi (9%) and Ps. davisi (8%). A total of 667 female and 760 male specimens were collected. One specimen lost head and terminalia so could not be sexed.

Wajãpi dataset
The Wajãpi are a group of about 1,200 people [17], distributed in 80 small villages across their territory. All families subsist by agriculture, fishing, hunting and gathering, periodically changing the location of their villages to allow ecological recovery of the areas  A total of 3,218 specimens (Table 2) were identified to either genus or species-level.
Again, some species could not be identified to the species level since they were morphologically indistinguishable, morphological structures were not clearly visible in the slide, or the specimens lost appendages important for morphological identification. The most abundant genera were Trichophoromyia (20%), Nyssomyia (13%) and Psathyromyia (11%). The most abundant species were T. brachipyga (14%), followed by Pa. dreisbachi (9%) and Nyssomyia pajoti (6%). A total of 1,938 female and 1,276 male specimens were collected.
Four specimens lost head and terminalia and could not be sexed.

Suruwaha Indigenous Land (SIL)
The municipality of Tapauá is located on the banks of the Purus River. It has a population of 16,876 inhabitants and a total area of 84,946 km 2 [13]. The main economic activity is agriculture (cassava, jute and beans) and extractivism (nuts, rubber, wood, copaiba oil and andiroba). Livestock has become the main product in the last 10 years.
The The population consists of 171 people who were living in isolation and were contacted by missionaries in the 1980s [20]. The productive activities of the Suruwaha include agriculture, hunting, fishing, gathering and tool making [19]. Hunting is the most prestigious activity, and a good hunter not only kills many animals but must also have killed many tapirs, the most coveted game because of its size, which can feed many people [20]. villages [17].
The Wajãpi organize themselves into autonomous local groups called 'iwanã-ko', which are represented by a local group that has its origin in a specific region, where there are several villages. However, not all the people of an iwanã-ko live in the same region, because when marriages between people from different groups take place, one of the spouses starts living in the other's region [22], which may represent only a temporary physical settlement.
The different groups occupy three spatial categories: the places of concentration: rural villages/dwellings; intermittent dispersal/settlements (mainly during the dry seasonhunting, fishing and gathering camps); and 'koo kwerã' sites, which are wildlife reserves left undisturbed for wild animals to use and therefore, be hunted. This combination of social, political and ecological factors that determine the movements of concentration and dispersion of the Wajãpi in its territory seems to accompany the patterns of disease distribution in the TIW, so that the tendency to concentrate families close to the Perimetral Norte highway, which reaches TIW, seems to be related to the increased incidence of infectious diseases [18,23].

Sand fly collection and processing
Sand flies were collected with unbaited US Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-like light traps operated between 5:00 pm and 6:00 am. Traps were placed in areas used by the indigenous people, such as swiddens, forest areas, hunting grounds, access trails and homes.
Insects were stored in microtubes containing 70% alcohol, and were sorted from the other insects collected either in the field or under a dissecting microscope in the laboratory.

REUSE POTENTIAL
These data are important because they describe the distribution of sand flies collected at different sites in two indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon. The data can be used by different sectors of academia, government, civil society, and by non-governmental organizations. However, these data may be of particular importance to balance scientific knowledge with indigenous knowledge to improve health surveillance activities and adapt these to different ecosocial contexts with the participation of indigenous people, who better know their territories.
These data can be used to address challenges in leishmaniases control, and to better understand the epidemiology of this disease. Since control measures in Brazil are based on disease surveillance and monitoring in territorial units, which include biological and environmental characteristics, our dataset can contribute to a broader knowledge base. Our data provide occurrence records from locations that would not normally be surveyed by the public health system ACL control programs of the Brazilian government. These data can be used to model both vector and disease distribution in space and time, as well as provide clues on priority areas for ACL surveillance and control in these areas.
Our high-quality data provide an expert-validated list of sand fly species with up-to-date names from remote areas in the Brazilian Amazon.

ETHICAL APPROVAL
The collection licenses and permits for our studies were as follows: in the SIL, SISBIO

CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION
Not applicable.

COMPETING INTERESTS
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.