-79- 



comm., 1984) reported that females in flourishing laboratory colonies 

 will occasionally bite humans. 



Lutzomyia texana . Lutzomyia texana was described from 

 specimens collected in the nest of the leaf-cutting ant, Atta texana 

 (Buckley), in San Antonio, Texas. This species has been collected in 

 light traps at several sites throughout south central Texas (Fig. 

 2-31). Young (1972) reported that Lu_. texana frequently inhabit 

 mammal burrows, especially those dug by armadillos, and that they were 

 collected from such places throughout most of the year. Efforts 

 to feed specimens on a variety of hosts in June 1982 and September 

 were unsuccessful. Young (pers. comm., 1984) believes that armadillos 

 may be the principal hosts. Lainson _et _al_. (1979) isolated Leishmania 

 from armadillos in Brazil. There is no evidence of armadillo 

 reservoirs of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Texas; however, the 

 matter has never been investigated and should be given further 

 attention. 



Lutzomyia vexator (Coquillet). Lutzomyia vexator is the most 

 widely distributed sand fly in the USA (Young and Perkins, 1984). It 

 was collected previously by Young (1972) at Garner State Park and 

 Fredricksburg, Texas, in light traps. These flies are reptile feeders 

 and are of no known medical or economic importance. 



Lutzomyia new species . This new species, known from a single 

 female, raises to seven the number of sand fly species collected from 

 Texas. Future field surveys will be essential to collect more 

 specimens on which to base a valid description of the species and to 

 study its biology and host associations. 



