Phlebotomus (Paraphlebotomus) alexandri Sinton, 1928

The male and female are easily identifiable thanks to their short first flagellomere (= AIII).

Moreover, in the male, there is a short basal lobe of the gonocoxite, with a spherical head, provided with radiant, generally rectilinear setae. The apical spine of the style is inserted on a long process, far from the subapical spine.

The female exhibits a pharyngeal armature of rectangular overall appearance without anterior extension, consisting of strongly chitinised, spiniform scales forming a thick network.

Ph. alexandri occupies a vast geographical area: from Morocco to Mongolia down to Sudan. In Oman, Ph. alexandri is a fairly abundant Phlebotomus, especially in Dhofar. Here, Ph. alexandri is mainly found in the desert zone at Boswellia (Incense Tree), and more particularly in bottom of the Wadi (Herwouib).

With the exception of the isolation of L. donovani in China [27], the role of Ph. alexandri as a vector is still under discussion. Its low abundance in the prospected areas of the Sharqiyah cannot yet explain its potential role in the transmission of L. donovani .