DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8q7
title: Sand fly (Phlebotominae) activity and abundance in vertical strata in a tropical dry forest in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

description: The study of the insect vectors dynamics in a vertical forest gradient
 provides basic information on aspects of their natural history that
 influence the rate of pathogen transmission. Thus, we analyzed the
 temporal dynamics of sand fly species along vertical strata of a tropical
 dry forest in Yucatan, an area previously identified as a transmission
 hotspot for Leishmania mexicana. We compared the richness and abundance of
 sand fly species between the underground and canopy stratum. Then, we
 analyzed their relationship with environmental variables such as
 temperature and humidity. No significant differences in species diversity
 and abundance were detected between the two ecotopes. Psathyromyia
 shannoni and Dampfomyia deleoni were the only species structured in the
 vertical dimension. Observed diversity in both strata responded similarly
 across both monthly and seasonal time scales. Data analyses indicated that
 relative humidity influenced the vertical distribution of Pa. shannoni and
 Da. deleoni, although the magnitude and direction of this effect varied by
 species. Psathyromyia shannoni exhibited contrasting responses to relative
 humidity between the canopy and the understory, independent of sex,
 suggesting that additional environmental factors not assessed in this
 study may modulate its vertical structure.
description: # Sand fly (Phlebotominae) activity and abundance in vertical strata in a
 tropical dry forest in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8q7](10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8q7) ## Description of the
 data and file structure Excel files: * Enviromental_variables.xlsx *
 Sandfly_species.xlsx Descriptions *Environmental variables* * Ecotope: the
 physical environment in which the specimen was obtained. In this database,
 the ecotopes are the canopy and understory. * Hour: The collection period
 (h) where First (6:00-6:59), Second (7:00-7:59), Third (8:00-8:59), Fourth
 (9:00-9:59), and Fifth (10:00-11:00). * Month: The month that the specimen
 was obtained, where Nov (November), Sep (September), Mar (March), Jun
 (June), Jul (July), Jan (January), Feb (February), and Apr (April). *
 Season: time of the year that specimen was obtained.
 "Nortes" refers to a season exclusive to the Yucatan
 Peninsula mainly associated with wind intensity of 11–17 m/s affecting
 coastal cities of the Gulf of Mexico [1]. * Temperature: Ecotope
 temperature (°C). * Relative humidity: Ecotope humidity (%). Reference:
 \[1] Cortez-Huerta M., Echeverria RS, Garcia GF, Duran RA, Alvarez PS,
 Magana V, Retama A. 2023. Influence of particulate matter on air quality
 due to “Nortes” events in the Gulf of Mexico. *Atmospheric Pollution
 Research* 14(10), 101889. *Sandfly species* * ID: The ID assigned to each
 specimen. * Genus: Genus identification. * Specie: Species identification.
 * Sex: Sex identification.  * Condition: Gravid or Fed. May contain Not
 applicable (NA) values due to the absence of the condition.  * Trap: code
 of the trap. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). *
 Ecotope: the discrete classes of the physical environment based on the
 distributions of communities in an ecosystem. In this database, the
 ecotope could be the canopy and understory. * Month: The month that the
 specimen was obtained * Year: The year that the specimen was obtained 
 
 ## Code/software None ## Access information Other publicly accessible
 locations of the data: * None Data was derived from the following sources:
 * None