Leonila Vázquez García

Leonila Vázquez García
Dr. Vázquez doing field work in Mexico
Born17 January 1914
Died30 January 1995
Years active1946-1979
Known forEntomology

Leonila Vázquez García (17 January 1914 – 30 January 1995), known as Leonila Vázquez, was a Mexican entomologist and awardee of the Mexican Entomology Society's 1971 Entomological Merit medal. She is known for the study of the biology of the cochineal (Dactylopius coccus), an insect species used to create the red dye carmine. She was also a renowned butterfly researcher, contributing the first butterfly section to the Encyclopedia of Mexico and describing 39 new species to science throughout her career.

She started teaching in the Faculty of Science at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) in 1943, where she was a distinguished researcher in the university's Institute of Biology for over 50 years.