Redescription of the male and description of the female of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes abrocomae</Emphasis> Lahille, 1916 (Acari: Ixodidae)

The male of Ixodes abrocomae Lahille, 1916 (Acari: Ixodidae) is redescribed and the female described for the first time from specimens collected on the rodents Abrothrix longipilis (Waterhouse), A. olivaceous (Waterhouse) and Phyllotis xanthopygus (Waterhouse) at Coquimbo, Chile. The males of I. abrocomae are peculiar in having the combination of the following features: length and width less than 2 mm and 1 mm, respectively; hypostome notched with two rows of stout denticles and several small internal denticles; article II of the palpi with two conspicuous dorsal setae; coxa I with two subequal spurs; coxae II–IV with a single spur plus an indication of a second spur; and a scutum with long, scattered hairs except for the glabrous postero-median field which reaches to the marginal fold. The females of I. abrocomae are peculiar in possessing a combination of: a pointed hypostome, with a 3/3 dentition of flared denticles; a long, narrow scutum with few ‘hairs’ and with punctations which are especially numerous in the posterior region; a triangular basis capituli, with oval porose areas lacking definitive borders and separated by the width of one area, and a sinuous posterior margin with small cornuae; one spur on coxae I–IV; and conspicuous setae on the interno-dorsal face of palpal article II and the ventral face of article I. Sequences of 16S rDNA were identical for male and female I. abrocomae, but differ by 3.8% and 5.5% from sequences of their closest relatives, I. stilesi Neumann, 1911 and I. sigelos Keirans, Clifford & Corwin, 1976, respectively. Characters enabling the separation of I. abrocomae from Ixodes spp. distributed in the southwestern Neotropics are presented. Records of I. abrocomae in different climatic areas and on different, widely distributed rodent hosts indicate that this species may be present beyond its known Chilean territorial range (Regions III and IV).     

Description of the nymph and larva and redescription of the female of Ixodes neuquenensis Ringuelet, 1947 (Acari: Ixodidae), a parasite of the endangered Neotropical marsupial Dromiciops gliroides Thomas (Microbiotheria: Microbiotheriidae)

The female of Ixodes neuquenensis Ringuelet, 1947 (Acari: Ixodidae) is redescribed and the nymph and larva are described from specimens collected from the endangered marsupial Dromiciops gliroides Thomas (Microbiotheria: Microbiotheriidae) in Argentina. At first sight the female of I. neuquenensis resembles a member of the subgenus Ixodes Latreille, 1795. However, the female of I. neuquenensis is peculiar in having the combination of two spurs on coxae II-IV and a pair of chitinous plaques internal to coxa I. Both the nymph and larva have an anterior and posterior process on palpal article I, characteristics of the subgenus Ixodiopsis Filippova, 1957 and some representatives of the subgenus Pholeoixodes Schulze, 1942. Analysis of 16S mitochondrial rDNA sequences showed no strong relationship with any known Ixodes subgenus.     

Description of three new species of Ixodes Latreille, 1795 (Acari: Ixodidae), parasites of tenrecs (Afrotheria: Tenrecidae) on Madagascar

Ixodes soarimalalae n. sp., Ixodes uilenbergi n. sp. and Ixodes uncus n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae), are described based on females ex various species of tenrecs (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae) from Madagascar. Females of all of these new species are similar to those of other species of the subgenus Afrixodes Morel, 1966 known from Madagascar, from which they can be distinguished and from one other by the size of scutum, size of scutal setae, shape of alloscutal setae, shape of genital aperture, development of genital apron, size of auriculae, size of anterior angle of basis capituli, size of palpi, dental formula on hypostome and size and development of spurs on coxa I.

     

Amblyomma boeroi n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae), a parasite of the Chacoan peccary Catagonus wagneri (Rusconi) (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae) in Argentina

All parasitic stages of Amblyomma boeroi n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) are described here from Catagonus wagneri (Rusconi) in Argentina. The diagnostic characters for the male are a combination of orbited eyes, a 2/2 dental formula, coxa IV considerably larger than coxae I–III and with a long, sickle-shaped, medially directed spur arising from its internal margin, a scutum which is light grey to very pale ivory in colour, and the absence of a postanal groove. The diagnostic characters for the females are a combination of orbited eyes, a central pair and two marginal pairs of short, coarse notal setae, a 2/2 dental formula, and the absence of a postanal groove. The nymph has short palpi and a 2/2 dental formula arranged in 6 rows, its eyes are convex and orbited, and it has no postanal groove. The dorsally rectangular basis capituli of the larva, its bulging eyes and slightly sinuous posterior scutal margin all serve to distinguish it from the larva of other species of the genus. The principal host for all parasitic stages is C. wagneri (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae). Phylogenetically A. boeroi appears to represent an independent lineage within Amblyomma Koch, 1844.     

Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea: Argasidae, Ixodidae) of Chile

The tick species recorded from Chile can be listed under the following headings: (1) endemic or established: Argas keiransi Estrada-Peña, Venzal and Gonzalez-Acuña, A. neghmei Kohls and Hoogstraal; Ornithodoros amblus Chamberlin; Otobius megnini (Dugès); Amblyomma parvitarsum Neumann; A. tigrinum Koch; Ixodes auritulus Neumann; I. chilensis Kohls; I. cornuae Arthur, I. sigelos Keirans, Clifford and Corwin; I. stilesi Neumann; I. uriae White; Rhipicephalus sanguineus Koch. (2) Probably established or endemic: Argas miniatus Koch; Ornithodoros spheniscus Hoogstraal, Wassef, Hays and Keirans; Ixodes abrocomae Lahille; I. neuquenensis Ringuelet; I. pararicinus Keirans and Clifford. (3) Doubtfully established: Argas reflexus Fabricius; Ornithodoros talaje (Guérin-Méneville). (4) Exotic: Amblyomma argentinae Neumann; A. latum Koch, Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini). (5) Erroneously identified as present in Chile: Amblyomma americanum (Linnaeus); A. maculatum Koch; A. varium Koch; Ixodes conepati Cooley and Kohls; I. frontalis (Panzer); I. ricinus (Linnaeus); Margaropus winthemi Karsch. (6) Nomina nuda: Argas reticulatus Gervais; Amblyomma inflatum Neumann; Ixodes lagotis Gervais. Hosts and localities (including new records) are presented. Argas neghmei, O. amblus, O. megnini, I. uriae and R. sanguineus may cause severe injury to their hosts, including humans. The Chilean Ixodes fauna is unique to the Neotropical Zoogeographic Region, and additional research is needed in order to understand the biological importance of these species.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Description of a new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amblyomma</Emphasis> Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), parasite of deer (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) and wild pigs (Artiodactyla: Suidae) in the Philippines

Amblyomma anicornuta n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) is described based on adults and nymphs ex deer (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) and wild pigs (Artiodactyla: Suidae) from Luzon, Philippines. Adults of A. anicornuta n. sp. are similar to those of several Asian and Australasian species of Amblyomma Koch, 1844 with a 4/4 dental formula on the hypostome but can be distinguished by the colouration and pattern of punctations on the conscutum in the male and scutum in the female, the absence of a marginal groove on the conscutum in the male, the possession of long, thick, prominent setae on the alloscutum in the female, projections on anal valves and sclerotised ring around them in the male, a large median sclerite ventrally in the male, as well by the shape of the genital aperture in the female and the size and shape of spurs on coxae I–IV in both sexes. The nymph of A. anicornuta n. sp. is somewhat similar to that of A. babirussae Schulze, 1933 and A. geoemydae (Cantor, 1847) but can be distinguished by the colouration pattern on the scutum, the presence of dorsal cornua and the size of the spurs on coxae I–IV.     

Diagnoses of and illustrated key to the species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes</Emphasis> Latreille, 1795 (Acari: Ixodidae) from Brazil

The current Brazilian Ixodes fauna is composed of the following eight species: I. amarali Fonseca, 1935; I. aragaoi Fonseca, 1935; I. auritulus Neumann, 1904; I. fuscipes Koch, 1844; I. loricatus Neumann, 1899; I. luciae Sénevet, 1940; I. paranaensis Barros-Battesti, Arzua, Pichorim &; Keirans, 2003; and I. schulzei Aragão &; Fonseca, 1951. Further studies are needed to establish the taxonomic status of I. serrafreirei Amorim, Gazeta, Bossi &; Linhares, 2003, a recently proposed species based solely on the nymphal stage. We present an up-to-date key to adults of the currently valid Brazilian species of Ixodes based on scanning electron microscopy. The relationships between Brazilian and other Neotropical Ixodes are also discussed.     

Species identification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes granulatus</Emphasis> (Acari: Ixodidae) based on internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences

To investigate the genetic specificity of Ixodes granulatus ticks collected from Taiwan, the genetic identities and phylogenetic relationships were analyzed by comparing the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region obtained from 27 strains of ticks representing twelve species of Ixodes. Five major clades can be easily distinguished by neighbour-joining analysis and were congruent by maximum-parsimony method. All these I. granulatus ticks collected from Taiwan and Japan were genetically affiliated to a monophyletic group with highly homogeneous sequences (95.8–99.5% similarity), and can be discriminated from other species and subgenera of Ixodes ticks with a sequence divergence ranging from 13.6% to 62.9%. Moreover, interspecific analysis revealed that four distinct lineages are evident between Ixodes ticks, and all these I. granulatus ticks collected from Taiwan and Japan belong to the same lineage. Our results provide the first investigation on the genetic specificity of I. granulatus ticks, and demonstrate that all these I. granulatus ticks represent a unique lineage distinct from other species and subgenera of Ixodes ticks. The feasibility of ITS2-based genetic analysis for species-specific identification of I. granulatus ticks around East Asia was highly anticipated.     

Reinstatement of Dermacentor tricuspis (Schulze, 1933) n. comb., n. stat. (Acari: Ixodidae) as a valid species,synonymization of D. atrosignatus Neumann, 1906 and description of a new species from Indonesia,Malaysia and Thailand

Re-examination of the holotype of Dermacentor atrosignatus Neumann, 1906 (Acari: Ixodidae) stored in the Natural History Museum (London, UK) revealed that this taxon is identical with D. auratus Supino, 1897 and should be treated as a junior synonym of the latter species. A correct name for the distinct species previously identified as D. atrosignatus Neumann, 1906 sensu Wassef & Hoogstraal, 1984 should be D. tricuspis (Schulze, 1933) n. comb., n. stat. Adults of D. tricuspis are redescribed here. Re-examination of extensive holdings of Oriental Dermacentor Koch, 1844 ticks stored in the United States National Tick Collection revealed that a morphologically distinct new species of this genus, namely D. falsosteini D. Apanaskevich, M. Apanaskevich & Nooma n. sp. should be recognized. Adults of D. tricuspis and D. falsosteini n. sp. can be distinguished from other species of Oriental Dermacentor and each other by the colour pattern of the conscutum and scutum, the pattern of punctations on the pseudoscutum and scutum, the shape of female genital structures and spurs on coxa I. Dermacentor tricuspis is recorded from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand where the adults were mostly collected from various species of wild pigs (Artiodactyla: Suidae) and vegetation; few adults were available from other mammals (Artiodactyla: Bovidae; Carnivora: Canidae, Felidae, Ursidae; Pholidota: Manidae), as well as humans and reptiles (Squamata: Elapidae, Varanidae). One male was reared from a nymph collected on a rodent (Rodentia: Muridae). Dermacentor falsosteini n. sp. is found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand where the adults were collected from bearded pig, Sus barbatus Müller, wild boar, S. scrofa Linnaeus, unidentified wild pig, Sus sp. (Artiodactyla: Suidae), Malayan tapir, Tapirus indicus Desmarest (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae), human and vegetation.

     

The discovery of Neotropical Lepidosira (Collembola,Entomobryidae) and its systematic position

We herein present the first reliable record of Lepidosira from Neotropical Region. Lepidosira neotropicalis sp. n. from Brazil is described and illustrated in detail, including its complete mitochondrial genome. We perform a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis to place the new species within the Entomobryidae, and at the same time to test previous contrasting hypotheses on Lepidosira position within the Entomobryinae versus Seirinae for the first time. Phylogenetic analyses were based on one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes, Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I, 18S ribosomal RNA and 28S ribosomal RNA, respectively. Lepidosira neotropicalis sp. n. resembles L. sundana Yoshii and Suhardjono and L. nigropunctata (Nguyen) in dorsal chaetotaxy of abdominal segments I and II, but differs from all other species by the combination of head (dorsally and ventrally) and dorsal trunk chaetotaxy, plus empodial complex morphology. Our phylogenetic analyses support the placement of Lepidosira within Entomobryinae, as the sister group of Lepidocyrtoides. Overall, our revision enables a more objective diagnosis to Lepidosira and suggests that the genus is in need of a full revision due to its variable morphology, and lack of data needed to evaluate its monophyly. Finally, we provide an identification key for Neotropical genera of Entomobryinae.     

Postembryonic development of mating behavior in the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus DeGeer

Summary The intact male nymph cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus DeGeer, was found to show mating-like behavior, that is, courtship-like behavior (CSLB) and copulation-like behavior (CPLB), in the 7th and 8th (last) instars. The 8th instar nymph exhibited less CSLB and CPLB than the adult but much more than the 7th instar nymph. The movement patterns of CSLB and CPLB were essentially the same as those of adults except for motor acts requiring the use of the genitalia. CSLB was short and often ceased spontaneously before it switched to CPLB. CPLB also ended earlier than in adults. The occurrence of CSLB and CPLB was almost zero the few days around ecdysis. The nymph was very sensitive to disturbance, so that he often stopped courtship for more than 30 min after stimulation. CSLB was similarly induced in the male nymph (8th instar) by pairing with a female adult, male adult, female nymph (8th) and male nymph (8th). The female nymph (8th) was observed to mount not only the male adult but also the male nymph (8th). A fixed time sexual refractoriness forming a basis of cyclical mating activity was not present after CPLB in the nymph. It appeared in association with the emergence of spermatophore protrusion behavior around day 3 after the imaginal molt. In fledglings, there were some transitions during the sexual maturation process, such as failures in hook hanging, spermatophore extrusion, and spermatophore transfer to the female. The decerebration experiments on nymphs and fresh adults agreed with behavioral observations. These results suggest that the development of mating behavior in the male cricket is a process of enhancement of basic motor patterns but not a process of addition of new movements by changes in pattern generation circuits in the central nervous system.Abbreviations CPLB copulation-like behavior - CPPT interval between copulation and spermatophore protrusion - CSCP interval between calling song and copulation - CSLB courtship-like behavior - CSS courtship song - PTCS interval between spermatophore protrusion and calling song - SPE spermatophore extrusion     

Molecular analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes granulatus</Emphasis>, a possible vector tick for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Borrelia burgdorferi</Emphasis> sensu lato in Taiwan

The genetic identity of Ixodes granulatus ticks was determined for the first time in Taiwan. The phylogenetic relationships were analyzed by comparing the sequences of mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA gene obtained from 19 strains of ticks representing seven species of Ixodes and two outgroup species (Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis inermis). Four major clades could be easily distinguished by neighbour-joining analysis and were congruent by maximum-parsimony method. All these I. granulatus ticks of Taiwan were genetically affiliated to a monophyletic group with highly homogeneous sequences (92.2–99.3% similarity), and can be discriminated from other Ixodes species and other genera of ticks with a sequence divergence ranging from 11.7 to 30.8%. Moreover, intraspecific analysis revealed that two distinct lineages are evident between the same species of I. granulatus ticks collected from Taiwan and Malaysia. Our results demonstrate that all these I. granulatus ticks of Taiwan represent a unique lineage distinct from the common vector ticks (I. ricinus complex) for Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes.     

Phylogenetic biogeography of the leafy liverwort Herbertus (Jungermanniales, Herbertaceae) based on nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data: correlation between genetic variation and geographical distribution

Aim The cosmopolitan genus Herbertus is notorious for having a difficult taxonomy and for the fact that there is limited knowledge of species ranges and relationships. Topologies generated from variable molecular markers are used to discuss biogeographical patterns in Herbertus and to compare them with the geological history of continents and outcomes reported for other land plants. Location Africa, Asia, Azores, Europe, southern South America, northern South America, North America, New Zealand. Methods Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and chloroplast (cp) trnL–trnF sequences of 66 accessions of Herbertus and the outgroup species Triandrophyllum subtrifidum and Mastigophora diclados were used to investigate biogeographical patterns in Herbertus. Areas of putative endemism were defined based on the distribution of species included in the analyses. Maximum parsimony analyses were undertaken to reconstruct ancestral areas and intraspecies migration routes. Results The analyses reveal species‐level cladograms with a correlation between genetic variation and the geographical distribution of the related accessions. The southern South American Herbertus runcinatus is sister to the remainder of the genus, which is split into two main clades. One contains the Neotropical–African Herbertus juniperoideus and the New Zealand/Tasmanian Herbertus oldfieldianus. An African accession of H. juniperoideus is nested within Neotropical accessions. The second main clade includes species that inhabit Asia, the Holarctic, Africa, and northern South America. Maximum parsimony analyses indicate that this clade arose in Asia. Herbertus sendtneri originated in Asia and subsequently colonized the Holarctic and northern South America. An Asian origin and colonization into Africa is indicated for H. dicranus. Main conclusions The current distribution of Herbertus cannot be explained by Gondwanan vicariance. A more feasible explanation of the range is a combination of short‐distance dispersal, rare long‐distance dispersal events (especially into regions that faced floral displacements as a result of climatic changes) extinction, recolonization, and diversification. The African Herbertus flora is a mixture of Asian and Neotropical elements. Southern South America harbours an isolated species. The molecular data indicate partial decoupling of molecular and morphological variation in Herbertus. Biogeographical patterns in Herbertus are not dissimilar to those of other groups of bryophytes, but elucidation of the geographical ranges requires a molecular approach. Some patterns could be the result of maintenance of Herbertus in the inner Tropics during glacial maxima, and dispersal into temperate regions in warm phases.     

中国杜鹃花科植物新记录种——埃氏越橘

该文报道了国产杜鹃花科(Ericaceae)一新记录种,即埃氏越橘(Vaccinium eberhardtii Dop)。该种隶属于越橘属(Vaccinium)南烛组(Vaccinium sect. Bracteata),与同属于该组的南烛(V. bracteatum)和海岛越橘(V. wrightii)近缘,但与前者的区别在于花序梗、花梗、萼筒无毛,花冠球状坛形,药室背部明显具2个距,与后者的区别在于花梗较短,短于苞片,药室背后的距直立,长超过药管的一半。据文献记录,该种原来仅分布于越南中部和泰国,此次发现该种的分布范围可以北延至中国的广西东兴市的沿海地区,不仅丰富了越橘属分类、分布的数据,也为今后该属的分类学修订提供了新资料。凭证标本保存在中国科学院华南植物园标本馆(IBSC)和中国科学院广西植物研究所标本馆(IBK)中。     

A new species of Ixodes (Acari: Ixodidae) from South African mammals

A new tick species belonging to the African subgenus Afrixodes Morel, 1966, namely, Ixodes ( Afrixodes ) fynbosensis n. sp., is described. The female of I. fynbosensis is easily differentiated from the other African Ixodes species by a large, tapering triangular ventrolateral spur on palpal segment I. Nymph and larva of I. fynbosensis can be distinguished from those of other members of Afrixodes by a combination of the following characters: pointed hypostome, long auriculae, long and acute ventrolateral projections of basis capituli of nymph, only 2 pairs of central dorsal setae, and a straight posterior margin of scutum of the larva. Cytochrome oxidase I mtDNA sequence comparisons between I. fynbosensis and 10 other Ixodes Latreille, 1795, species support the recognition of this taxon as genetically distinct (>13% corrected sequence divergences separate it from the remainder of the 10 recognized species used in this study), and preliminary phylogenetic analyses reveal that this taxon is most closely related to the southern African Ixodes pilosus Koch, 1844, and Ixodes rubicundus Neumann, 1904. Ixodes fynbosensis is known only from South Africa, where females have been collected from a domestic dog and a rodent, Rhabdomys pumilio (Sparrman), and nymphs and larvae have been collected from R. pumilio and unidentified shrews belonging to the Soricidae. Sequences generated for both nymphs and adult individuals were identical, confirming the correlation between the described life stages.     

A case of Amblyomma testudinarium tick bite in a Korean woman

A case of tick bite was found in the inguinal region of a 74-year-old Korean woman. She was attacked by the tick while working in her vegetable garden in the vicinity of mountain located in Suncheon City, the southern coastal area of the Korean Peninsula. On admission she complained of mild discomfort and itching around the bite area. The causative tick was 23 mm long and had slender pedipalps. The scutum was quite ornate and had eyes at the edge. The genital aperture was located anterior to the level of the coxa II. The spiracular plate was comma-shaped and the anus was surrounded posteriorly by the anal groove. The coxa I had subequal 2 spurs; the external one slightly larger. The spur of coxa IV was slightly longer than those of coxae II and III. The tarsus IV had 2 distinct subapical ventral spurs. It was identified as the fully engorged adult female of Amblyomma testudinarium. This is the first human case of Amblyomma bite in Korea.