Lutzomyia (Tricholateralis) cruciata (Coquillett, 1907)

Flebotomus cruciatus Coquillett, 1907: 102 (♀). Type locality: Guatemala, Alta Vera Paz, Trece Aguas, Cacao.

Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) cruciata (Coquillett): Young & Duncan, 1994: 67 (taxonomy, references between 1947 and 1994, keys); Ibáñez-Bernal, 1999: 78 (diagnosis, references, distribution); Rebollar-Téllez & Manrique-Saide, 2001: 337 (Yucatán records); Rebollar-Téllez et al., 2004: 285 (Campeche records); Rebollar-Téllez et al., 2005: 197 (Campeche abundance data); Rebollar-Téllez et al., 2006: 23 (Yucatán records); Pech-May et al., 2010: 150 (infection rates in Campeche); Sánchez-García et al., 2010: 406 (infection rates in Quintana Roo); González et al., 2011: 839 (geographical distribution); Méndez-Pérez & Rebollar-Téllez, 2012: 7 (morphological studies); Pérez et al., 2014: 82 (Chiapas records at coffee plantations); Pech-May et al., 2013: 254 (population genetics study).

Lutzomyia (Tricholateralis) cruciata (Coquillett): Galati, 2003: 36, 93, 94 (list, keys); Ibáñez-Bernal et al., 2011: 33 (Veracruz records).

Diagnosis. Pronotum and paratergite dark, similar to mesonotum strongly contrasting with the rest of pale pleura. Male: gonocoxite with basal tuft sessile, formed by 12 or more setae; paramere simple with apical half straight. Female: cibarium usually with 4 horizontal teeth; tergum 9 with stout multiple setae in the antero-lateral corner; spermatheca with terminal annulus larger than the preceding annuli; individual spermathecal ducts longer than spermatheca (Young & Duncan 1994, Galati 1995, 2003).

Material examined. MEXICO: CHIAPAS: Guadalupe Miramar, 21-x-2009, 1 ♀; 20-iv-2010, 1 ♂; 14-v-2010, 1 ♂; 14-i-2010, 1 ♀; 17-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 18-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 17-iii-2010, 1 ♀; 24-iv-2010, 1 ♀; 19-iii-2010, 2 ♀; 20-iv- 2010, 1 ♀; 16-vi-2010, 1 ♀; 08-vii-2010, 1 ♀; 23-i-2011, 1 ♀; 08-ii-2011, 1 ♀; 09-ii-2011, 1 ♀. Loma Bonita, 24- iv-2009, 2 ♀; 22-x-2009, 1 ♀; 15-i-2010, 1 ♀; 16-i-2010, 2 ♀; 17-i-2010, 1 ♀; 19-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 19-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 19-ii-2010, 2 ♀; 20-iii-2010, 3 ♂, 20 ♀; 21-iii-2010, 5 ♀; 22-iii-2010, 2 ♀; 23-iv-2010, 1 ♀; 24-iv-2010, 1 ♀; 14- v-2010, 1 ♀; 16-v-2010, 1 ♀; 19-vi-2010, 2 ♀; 20-v-2010, 1 ♀; 19-vi-2010, 1 ♂; 15-viii-2010, 2 ♀; 24-x-2010, 1 ♂; 22-i-2011, 2 ♀; 18-iii-2011, 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 20-vii-2011, 1 ♀. San Antonio Buena Vista, 15-vii-2009, 1 ♂; 17-x-2009, 1 ♂; 11-xi-2009, 1 ♂; 17-iv-2010, 10 ♀; 18-v-2010, 2 ♂; 19-v-2010, 5 ♂; 20-v-2010, 1 ♂; 11-vi-2010, 1 ♂; 12-vi- 2010, 1 ♂; 13-vii-2010, 2 ♂; 14-vii-2010, 1 ♂; 08-xii-2010, 2 ♂; 20-v-2010, 5 ♀; 13-vii-2010, 1 ♀; 20-x-2010, 1 ♀; 27-x-2010, 1 ♀. Tziscao, 06-viii-2009, 2 ♀; 13-x-2009, 2 ♀; 14-x-2009, 1 ♀; 15-iv-2010, 1 ♀; 21-v-2010, 3 ♀; 22-v-2010, 4 ♀; 08-vi-2010, 5 ♀; 09-vi-2010, 1 ♀; 10-vi-2010, 1 ♀; 27-x-2010, 1 ♀; 11-xi-2010, 2 ♀. Collected with CDC light traps.

Additional material collected with Magoon traps: MEXICO: CHIAPAS: Guadalupe Miramar, 13-viii-2009, Magoon trap, 1 ♀. Loma Bonita, 16-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 18-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 19-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 20-ii-2010, 1 ♀; 18-iii-2010, 2 ♀; 20-iv-2010, 1 ♀; 23-iv-2010, 1 ♀; 15-v-2010, 1 ♀; 12-ii-2011, 2 ♀; 15-iii-2011, 1 ♀; 16-iii-2011, 3 ♀; 18-iii- 2011, 2 ♀. San Antonio Buena Vista, 12-vi-2009, 1 ♀; 27-iii-2010, 1 ♀; 16-vii-2010, 1 ♀. Tziscao, 13-x-2009, 2 ♀.

Distribution. USA, MEXICO (Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán), BELIZE, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, EL SALVADOR, NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA, PANAMA (Young & Duncan 1994; Ibáñez-Bernal 1999).

Remarks. Lutzomyia cruciata has been reported biting a great number of vertebrate hosts including humans, and collected nearly in all parts of Mexico where human cutaneous leishmaniasis cases have been recorded (González et al. 2011). Pech-May et al. (2010) and Sánchez-García et al. (2010) reported natural infection with Leishmania mexicana in the Mexican states of Campeche and Quintana Roo, respectively. There are also records of infection with Wolbachia (Mikery-Pacheco et al. 2012) . With the exception of Psathyromyia shannoni (Dyar), this species is the most widely distributed sand fly species in Mexico (Pérez et al. 2014). Specimens of Lu. cruciata exhibit minor morphological differences throughout the species’ range (Méndez-Pérez & Rebollar-Téllez 2012), and Pech-May et al. (2013) found high genetic variability with at least three linages. This morphospecies was the third most abundant in our collections.