Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases 2322-1984 7 1 2013 06 15 1 7 EN Ali Reza Zahraei-Ramazani Department of Zoology, Centre of Advanced Study, Banaras Hindu University, India. Dinesh Kumar Department of Zoology, Centre of Advanced Study, Banaras Hindu University, India. Mohammad Reza Yaghoobi-Ershadi Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University ofMedical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Abdollah Naghian Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Reza Jafari Esfahan Health Research Station, National Institute of Health Research, Esfahan, Iran Mohammad Reza Shirzadi Communicable Disease Management Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran Hamid Abdoli Esfahan Health Research Station, National Institute of Health Research, Esfahan, Iran Hassan Soleimani Yazd Health Research Station, National Institute of Health Research, Yazd, Iran Niloofar Shareghi Esfahan Health Research Station, National Institute of Health Research, Esfahan, Iran Maryam Ghanei Esfahan Health Research Station, National Institute of Health Research, Esfahan, Iran Mohammad Hossein Arandian Esfahan Health Research Station, National Institute of Health Research, Esfahan, Iran Ahmad Ali Hanafi-Bojd Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University ofMedical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2015 10 16 Background: Sand flies of subgenus Adlerius has a wide geographical distribution in Iran and are mostly found in wild form in mountainous areas. They are always considered as probable vectors of visceral leishmaniasis. The ob- jective of this study was to determine the Adlerius species and its composition in an endemic focus of zoonotic vis- ceral leishmaniasis in northwest of the country. Methods: Sand flies were collected from 6 different areas of Azarbaijan-e-Sharqi Province using sticky paper traps from August to September which is active season for sand flies in this area, in 2009. The flies were mounted and identified. The length of third antennal segments, ascoid, labrum, coxite, surstyle, style, aedeagus, genital filament, genital pump, width of style, and the end of aedeagus were measured and the number of costal hairs group was also counted as the morphological characters. Results: A total of 30 adult sand flies, (26 males and 4 females) including Phlebotomus halepensis (46.8%), P. longiductus (13.3%), P. balcanicus (23.3%), P. comatus (3.3%), and Adlerius spp. (13.3%) belong to subgenus Adlerius were identified respectively in 6 counties. One P. comatus male was captured in front of a cave located in the hillside of a mountain covered with the vegetation in Varzeqan area. Conclusion: The presence of at least 5 species of the subgenus Adlerius in Azarbaijan-e-Sharqi Province, an en- demic focus of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in Iran, shows that the risk of parasite transmission among man and reservoir animals is high during the active season of sand flies. P. comatus is a new record for Iran and needs to be added to the list of Iranian phlebotomines of subgenus Adlerius. https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/view/266 https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/download/266/242