A new Genus of bloodsucking Psychodids from Peru (Diptera : Psychodidae).

In the course of studies on Carrion's disease carried out in Peru (Hertig, 1942) thousands of specimens of Phlebotomus were collected. Most of the field work was done in the verruga zone of the Rimac Valley. The sandfly material included all of the three species known from that region, P. verrucarum, P. noguchii and P. peruensis . Collections were made in houses, caves, excavations, pigpens, etc., both by day and by night. Included in the catches were occasional specimens of a psychodid somewhat larger than any of the local species of sandfly, rather like Phlebotomus in general appearance, but obviously not that genus. The first specimen, an unfed female from Puente Carrion in June, 1937, was successfully fed on a verruga patient. It was over a year, however, before another specimen was taken. At that time, the field work was shifted from Puente Carrion to points farther up the valley, where we began to get one or two specimens per month. The bloodsucking habit was quickly confirmed, since several of the first specimens contained red blood. They were taken in caves and houses along with Phlebotomus. Some were kept alive as long as possible in the hope (never realized) of obtaining eggs. Other live or fresh specimens were dissected or put up for sectioning, or mounted in balsam.