Sex and rhythms in sandflies and mosquitoes: An appreciation of the work of Alexandre Afranio Peixoto (1963-2013)

•Lutzomyia longipalpis in Brazil has recently undergone complex speciation events.•Anopheles cruzii in southern Brazil has also undergone recent speciation.•The circadian clock mechanisms of both sandflies and mosquitoes have been described.

I will briefly discuss the work of Alexandre A. Peixoto on sandflies and mosquitoes, focusing initially on his contributions to the population biology and phylogenetics of Brazilian populations of these important hematophagous insects. I shall also review some of his work on the underlying molecular clocks that mediate rhythmic behaviour and physiology in these species.