Abstract
Sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) are mostly known for their role in the transmission of parasitic protists of the genus Leishmania that cause leishmaniases, while their involvement in the transmission of many arboviruses of medical and veterinary importance is neglected. We reviewed the literature to summarize the so far published information on viruses isolated from phlebotomine sand flies; sand fly-borne viruses from the Phenuiviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Flaviviridae, Sedoreoviridae and Peribunyaviridae families are reviewed for the first time with regarding to their distribution in nature, host and vector specificity, and potential natural transmission cycles to show knowledge gaps, potential epidemiological risks and future research prospects.