Fauna and ecology of blood-sucking mosquitoes (Culicidae) in the northern taiga of the Sverdlovsk region

20 species of blood-sucking mosquitoes were recorded from the northern taiga of Ural (the northern part of the Sverdlovsk region): 15 species of the genus Aedes, 2 species of Culex, 2 species of Culiseta and 1 species of Anopheles. Larvae of Aedes occur in masse in small temporary water bodies. In summer after rains larvae of Culiseta and Culex as well as some species of Aedes appear. In May overhibernated Culiseta alaskaensis, C. bergrothi and An. maculipennis begin the flight of mosquitoes. The peak of the number and specific variety of attacking mosquitoes was recorded in July; in August their activity started to decrease. Aedes communis and A. punctor are mass species, A. excrucians, A. hexodontus and C. bergrothi are rather abundant, the other species are small in number or rare.     

Landscape and zonal distribution of bloodsucking mosquitoes and horseflies (Diptera: Culicidae,Tabanidae) in the northeastern Russian Plain

Analysis of landscape and zonal changes in the species diversity and abundance of 34 species of bloodsucking mosquitoes and 42 species of horseflies in the northeastern Russian Plain was carried out. The species diversity of both families is reduced from south to north. Two steps of faunistic depletion can be revealed: at the boundary of the middle and northern taiga (both mosquitoes and horseflies) and at the boundary of the extreme northern taiga and the forest-tundra (horseflies only). Species whose northern and southern distribution boundaries lie within the territory studied are listed.     

Blood-sucking mosquitoes (Culicidae) of southeastern and western Evenkia

24 species of bloodsucking mosquitoes of the genera Aedes and Culiseta are recorded from south-eastern and western Evenkia situated in Central Siberia, of which C. Bergrothi, A. increpitus, A. mercurator and A. riparius are first reported for Evenkia. The specific composition, dominant species in water bodies and air, phenology, the activity in attacking man and reindeer, parameters of external factors typical of the attacking of warmblooded animals are noted for each investigated area.     

On the fauna of trematodes from the family Dicrocoeliidae (Plagiorchidida) parasitizing animals in Vietnam

A review of the fauna of trematodes from the family Dicrocoeliidae parasitizing animals in Vietnam has been conducted. According to original and literature data, 57 trematode species from 15 genera were recorded. Data on hosts, localization, and distribution of all these species in the territory of Vietnam are given.     

On the fauna of Scathophagidae (Diptera) of Yakutia

The fauna of the family Scathophagidae of Yakutia, including 44 species of 15 genera, was studied. 23 species are recorded from the territory for the first time. The Arctic and subarctic zones of Yakutia have been still poorly studied, and additional species are found there. The scathophagid fauna of Yakutia was compared with the faunas of the neighboring regions using the dendrogram similarity method based on calculation of the Czekanowski–Sørensen coefficient.     

Chewing lice (Mallophaga: Insecta) of birds in the Central Ciscaucasia

Collections of 8805 individuals of chewing lice from wild and domestic fowl in the Central Ciscaucasia were processed. According to original and literary data, 102 species of Mallophaga are known from this territory; 15 of them were recorded for the first time. Most of all the chewing lice species known in the territory are parasites of passerine birds; the number of species associated with each of the 12 remaining bird orders of birds is several times smaller. An exchange of chewing lice between some species of hosts, including domestic and wild fowl, is possible.     

Organization of studies of the gnus complex of bloodsucking dipterans (diptera: culicidae,ceratopogonidae, tabanidae) by Yu. S. Balashov

The paper gives a historical account of investigations of mosquitoes, blackflies, and horseflies at the Laboratory of Parasitology of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) supervised by Corresponding Member of RAS, Prof. Yu.S. Balashov, in 1979–1994. The research team of the laboratory studied the local fauna, relative abundance, seasonal dynamics, diel activity, duration of mass flight, annual fluctuations of abundance, and age composition of populations of various species of mosquitoes, blackflies, and horseflies in the territory of Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov Provinces. The specific traits of attacks of various horsefly species were studied using the individual marking techniques.     

Survey of the Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Mayotte

A transversal survey of immature mosquitoes was conducted on Mayotte Island (France) in the Comoros Archipelago, western Indian Ocean, with the aim to inventory the Culicidae and to document inter-species relationships in different habitats. In total 420 habitats were sampled for larvae and/or pupae mosquitoes, resulting in more than 6,000 specimens. Forty species belonging to 15 genera were collected, with eight taxa integrated for the first time to the Mayotte mosquito list. The most frequently recorded species were Stegomyia aegypti, St. albopicta, Anopheles gambiae and Eretmapodites subsimplicipes, the first three species being known vectors of viruses and parasites transmitted to humans. Mean species richness in habitats ranged from 1.00 to 3.29, with notable differences between habitats. For example, water-filled axils of banana leaves, tree-holes and crab-holes had low species richness, while cut bamboo, water pools, abandoned tires and marsh and swamp water had notably higher species richness. Twenty-seven mosquito species belonging to 12 genera were routinely collected (in ≥20% of at least one type of larval habitat) suggesting that multiple species play a role in the biocenosis of these aquatic habitats. Multispecies association was observed in 52% of the habitats. The co-occurrence of up to six species belonging to five genera was recorded in a single habitat. The mosquitoes of Mayotte show notable biogeographical affinities to those of Madagascar, as compared to the African continent. These two potential source areas are nearly equidistant from Mayotte, which in turn indicates biased dispersal from east to west. Our findings suggest that with relatively short-term intensive sampling in different habitats, it is possible to approach exhaustive species inventories based on collection of larvae. Mayotte, with its modest elevation range and land surface, has a notable species richness of mosquitoes with 45 well-documented species belonging to 15 genera.     

Zygaenidae (Lepidoptera) of Omsk Province

The fauna of the family Zygaenidae of Omsk Province is reviewed. 12 species are listed, among which 7 are recorded from this territory for the first time.     

Territorial shift in the yellow-handed titi monkey (Callicebus torquatus)

In this study, the ranging pattern of a single group of monogamous and territorial Callicebus torquatus was recorded over a 7-year period from 1974 to 1980. Data on ranging pattern were recorded by direct observation; daily movement patterns were plotted on an accurate, scaled map of the territory. Data were obtained during 1–3-month studies each year from 1974 to 1978 and in 1980, as well as during a 12-month study in 1979-1980. These studies show that the exclusive territory maintained by the group was not spatially stable over the 7-year period. The group gradually moved its territory to the northeast, to the extent that the territory used in 1980 was completely noncoincident with the territory used in 1974 by the same group. Analysis of the ranging pattern from the 12-month study indicates that the group did not exhibit seasonal preferences for different parts of its range. Seasonal ranging patterns, therefore, are not likely to account for the observed territorial shift. It is suggested that territorial shifting may be related to the need for monogamous groups to find new territories for their offspring.     

Review of the fauna of the beetle families Scydmaenidae and Pselaphidae (Coleoptera, Staphylinoidea) of Chuvashia

A review of the coleopteran families Scydmaenidae (18 species) and Pselaphidae (23 species) of the Chuvash Republic is presented based on examination of the material collected in 1975?C2011. 18 species and 7 genera of Scydmaenidae and 21 species of 13 genera of Pselaphidae are recorded from this territory for the first time. Euplectus bescidicus Reitt. (Pselaphidae) is for the first time recorded from Russia.     

The mosquito fauna (Diptera: Culicidae) of the environs of the Sayan-Shushenskoe hydroelectric power station

Among females and larvae of mosquitoes collected in 1969, 1981-1984 in the area of the Sayan-Shushenskoe hydroelectric power station (140 km up the Yenisei River from the Abakan city) 5 genera and 30 species were recorded. Based on recent collections and reference data (Gornostaeva e. a., 1969; Gornostaeva, Danilov, 1986) the fauna of the region in question includes 31 species of mosquitoes (Anopheles--1, Culiseta--2, Coquillettidia--1, Aedes--22, Culex--5).     

The Origin of the Northern Palaearctic Fauna of Bloodsucking Insects,by the Example of Fleas (Siphonaptera), Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), and Blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

The territory of Fennoscandia and northwestern European Russia was released from the glacier cover in the Upper Pleistocene and has been recolonized by bloodsucking insects during the last 11 thousand years. The sources of formation of the Northern Palaearctic fauna of such groups of bloodsucking insects as fleas (Siphonaptera), mosquitoes (Culicidae), and blackflies (Simuliidae) were different in the postglacial period. One of the sources was the fauna of the ancient Mediterranean and southern Europe, while others were the faunas of northeastern China and Primorye. In turn, the two latter sources are closely related to the ancient faunal centers of the East Asian Subregion of the Palaearctic and also of the Indomalayan Region. Besides, some species and genera have spread from the West American Subregion of the Nearctic through Beringia.     

On the change of biotopes by aphidophagous coccinellids (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae)

Several types of biotope changes have been revealed in aphidophagous coccinellids, based on long-term observations over the territory extending from the Kola Peninsula to the south of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Zonal, seasonal, and annual biotope changes are supplemented with zonal changes of the plant organ inhabited by coccinelids. For example, Anisosticta novemdecimnotata L. is a typical hygrophilous species occurring in the marshes and shores of various water bodies. In the arid environment of the Chu Valley in Kyrghyzstan, this species preys on aphids sitting on sugar-beet roots, thus changing its normal habit of dweller on green parts of plant to partly soil-dwelling. Such a change of biotopes has not been recorded in this species previously.     

Prevalence of Aedes camptorhynchus (Thomson) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Other Mosquitoes in the Eastern Coast of Victoria

Adult mosquito populations were monitored using dry-ice baited EVS light traps at weekly intervals for four seasons (1991–95) in Avon, Bairnsdale, Rosedale and Hastings, and for three seasons (1991–94) in Tambo, in the eastern coast of Victoria. Among the 20 species of adult mosquitoes recorded, Aedes camptorhynchus (Thomson) was dominant (74–99%). Higher Ae camptorhynchus adult populations were recorded in the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons, than in 1991–92 and 1994–95 seasons. Rosedale shire recorded higher Ae camptorhynchus adult populations than the Avon, Bairnsdale, Hastings and Tambo shires. In all shires, two peaks of Ae camptorhynchus activity reaching high (100–1,000 adults/trap) to very high (> 1,000 adults/trap) levels were recorded, with the first peak in the middle of December (summer) and the second peak in the middle of April (autumn). the Ae camptorhynchus activity in the coastal region increased with an increase in the minimum temperature.     

Updated checklist of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Belgium

Most information about the systematics and bioecology of Belgian mosquitoes dates back from before 1950, and only scattered information was produced during the last decades. In this paper we review and update the list of mosquito species recorded in Belgium, from first report (1908) to 2015. Six genera and 31 species were recorded so far, including 28 autochthonous species and three invasive alien species recently recorded in Belgium: Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894), Ae. japonicus japonicus (Theobald 1901), and Ae. koreicus (Edwards 1917). The six genera are Anopheles (five species), Aedes (sixteen species), Coquillettidia (one species), Culex (four species), Culiseta (four species), and Orthopodomyia (one species).     

Taxonomy of the genus Dianous (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Steninae) in China and zoogeographic patterns of its distribution

Abstract Ninety‐six species of the rove beetle genus Dianous Leach, 1819 have been recorded in China. In this paper, we describe a new species, D. poecilus n. sp. from Yunnan, and record D. viriditinctus ( Champion, 1920 ) for the first time from China. To facilitate identification of species, species groups and/or species complexes, we compiled a new version of keys, including all species of Dianous hitherto recorded in the territory of China. Moreover, main patterns of geographical distribution are outlined for the world Dianous fauna of this genus.     

Energy expenditure and food intake of territorial male Pachydiplax longipennis (Odonata: Libellulidae)

ABSTRACT.

• 1 Field observations of males of the dragonfly, Pachydiplax longipennis (Burmeister), were used to determine how individuals of this species allocate energy to different activities during territory occupancy.
• 2 The effects of biological and physical factors on the species’daily activity pattern were examined. The proportion of time spent in flight was independent of temperature but increased asymptotically with increasing population density.
• 3 Measurements of assimilation efficiency and the quantity of faeces produced per day were used to calculate daily intake of food. An independent estimate of food consumption was derived from data on gut contents and clearance rate.
• 4 Food intake appears to exceed only slightly the energy required to maintain a territory, with little available for other activities. The activity pattern may be determined in part by the amount of energy available to individuals.