The distribution and location of the symbiont Lagenophrys aselli on the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus

1. The distribution and location of the ciliated protozoan Lagenophrys aselli on the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus were studied in relation to water flow over the third pleopod surface. 2. At low densities L. aselli had a significant preference for the anterior centre of the pleopod; however, at the highest densities this preference was no longer significant. The distribution ranged from closer than random at low densities to further than random at the highest densities, and may have been a product of feeding and reproduction of L. aselli as well as the short intermoult period of the host. 3. An individual L. aselli has an effective area of both the lorica and the ciliated feeding disc. The ciliated feeding disc, when extended, may contribute to the presence of a small anterior–posterior gap being left between individuals.     

Distribution of the ticks <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes persulcatus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes pavlovskyi</Emphasis> on the boundary of the forest and forest-steppe zones in the Ob region

Surveys of ixodoid ticks were performed in Novosibirsk Province (Novosibirsk and Toguchin Districts) and in the vicinity of Akademgorodok (Novosibirsk) in 2009–2010. The abundance and distribution of ticks were assessed in 8 types of habitats. Ixodes persulcatus (Schulze, 1930) was collected by flagging in Novosibirsk and Toguchin Districts, with the highest densities of 19 ind./km being observed in habitats with small-leaved trees. Three species of ticks: Ixodes persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi (subspecies I. pavlovskyi occidentalis Filip. et Pan., 1998), and Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) were recorded in a recreational forest of Akademgorodok. A high abundance (22 ind./km) of I. pavlovskyi was observed in pine forests subjected to considerable recreational load. The abundance of I. persulcatus was the highest in aspen-birch and birch-aspen forests. D. reticulatus was captured in pine forests and fallow lands, its abundance varying from 0.2 to 2 ind./km.