During two full years - from October 1981 to September 1983 - we captured sandflies using light traps in the National Park of Serra dos Órgãos, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The traps were strategically located in the forest once every week, in the same place, from 6 p.m to 6 a.m. on the next day. In 732 hours, 2,730 sandflies of 17 species were collected, four of the species belonged to the genus Brumptomyia França & Parrot, 1921 and 13 to the genus Lutzomyia França, 1924. Males accounted for 76.3% of all specimens. L. barrettoi, L. ayrozai and L. hirsuta corresponded to 95% of the total and the first was almost twice as numerous as the other two taken jointly. L. ayrozai was more abundant in the warm wet season, L. hirsuta in the cold dry sease, which was the only part of the year when L. barrettoi could be found. The number of species and specimens was greater in an area (B) where the traps were placed near the ground, close to wild animal burrows, than in another area (A) in which the traps were located far from the ground with thick vegetation and trees with tubular roots. We believe that after feeding the females are attracted to the source of light, because a considerable number of pregnent specimens were found in the traps. As we had previously observed in captures using human baits, the sandflies were more numerous in the light traps during the new moon that at full moon.