First blood-meal record of Simulium asakoae (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Malaysia, with notes on its distribution in Asia and status as a potential vector.

Simulium asakoae Takaoka and Davies has been confirmed to bite humans and has been incriminated as a vector of blood protozoan parasites of the genera Leucocytozoon and Trypanosoma, as well as an unknown filarial parasite in Thailand. However, its attraction to humans has remained uninvestigated in Malaysia. Recently, 27 black flies were collected in Pahang, Malaysia, of which 25 were captured in CO-baited Malaise traps and two were collected from humans during trapping activity.

Wild-caught adult black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) from various ecological landscapes in Malaysia.

Most studies on black flies focus on the taxonomy and ecology of their aquatic stages. Despite posing a public health threat, the adults remain poorly studied in many countries, including Malaysia. The present study represents the first investigation of the distribution of wild-caught black flies from various ecological landscapes and climatic conditions in Malaysia.

Multi-Locus Sequence Analysis Indicates Potential Cryptic Speciation in the Chigger Mite (Hatori, 1920) Parasitising Birds in Asia.

is widely distributed in Asia, preferentially parasitising birds, and heavy infestations have clinical impacts on domestic fowl. In common with other trombiculid mites, the genetic diversity and potential variation in host preferences or pathology induced by are poorly understood. This study aimed to unravel the geographical variation and population structure of collected from galliform birds in Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand by inference from concatenated mitochondrial-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), and nuclear-encoded internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and 18S ribosomal DNA gene sequences, including a comparison with previously published data from southeastern China.

Diversity, Distribution and Host Blood Meal Analysis of Adult Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Thailand.

Understanding the factors associated with the species diversity and distribution of insect vectors is critically important for disease epidemiology. Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) are significant hematophagous insects, as many species are pests and vectors that transmit pathogens to humans and other animals. Ecological factors associated with black fly species distribution have been extensively examined for the immature stages but are far less well explored for the adult stage.

Co-occurrence of dual lineages within Simulium (Gomphostilbia) atratum De Meijere in the Indonesian Archipelago along Wallace's Line.

Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences were utilized to infer the population genetic structure of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) atratum De Meijere, an endemic simulid species to Indonesia. Both median-joining haplotype network and maximum-likelihood tree revealed two genetic lineages (A and B) within the species, with an overlap distribution in Lombok, which is situated along Wallace's line. Genetic differentiation and gene flow with varying frequencies (F = 0.