Cover: Article featured in Trends in Parasitology!

Opnion article about the Lutzomyia longipalpis complex is the cover of Trends in Parasitology journal in November 2025.

On the cover: The phlebotomine sand fl y Lutzomyia longipalpis is the primary vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. Its taxonomic status has long been debated, with strong evidence suggesting that it represents a complex of distinct species. Yet a pivotal question remains: which population corresponds to the L. longipalpis originally described by Lutz and Neiva in 1912? This uncertainty, compounded by the loss of the original type material, continues to hinder the formal recognition of the species hidden under the name L. longipalpis. In this issue of Trends in Parasitology, Sousa-Paula revisits the debate surrounding the L. longipalpis complex and highlights pathways toward its taxonomic resolution, making a call for a neotype designation and discussing its implications for public health. To illustrate this dilemma, the cover reimagines the classic Spider-Man meme—multiple Spider-Men pointing at each other—as a humorous analogy, with the putative candidates for the “true” L. longipalpis locked in the same iconic standoff. Cover designed and illustrated by Ryan Kissinger (Visual and Medical Arts Unit, Rocky Mountain Laboratories).