Aedes yunnanensis (Diptera: Culicidae): transferred from the subgenus Hulecoeteomyia to Orohylomyia subg. nov., with descriptions of the species and the new subgenus

Aedes yunnanensis (Gaschen), currently classified in the subgenus Hulecoeteomyia Theobald, is transferred to a new monobasic subgenus, Orohylomyia Somboon & Harbach, subg. nov., based on morphological assessment of adults, male and female genitalia, larvae, and pupae, and phylogenetic analysis. The new subgenus and its type species are described in detail.

Identification of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its two host strains in China by PCR-RFLP

The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda was first found in China in 2018. In other countries, FAW has evolved corn and rice strain biotypes. It is not possible to identify these strains based on morphology. In addition, FAW is very similar in appearance to several other common pests. These situations bring great challenges to the population management of FAW. In this study, we developed a rapid identification method based on PCR-RFLP to distinguish the two FAW strains and the FAW from other lepidopteran pests. A 697 bp mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) was cloned and sequenced from FAW, Spodoptera litura, Spodoptera exigua, and Mythimna separata. The COI fragments of these species revealed unique digestion patterns created by three enzymes (Tail, AlWN I, and BstY II). Thus, these four species can be distinguished from each other. The enzyme Ban I recognized a unique SNP site on a 638 bp triosephosphate isomerase (Tpi) fragment of the corn strain FAW. The Tpi fragment of the corn strain was cut into two bands. However, the rice strain could not be digested. Using this method, all 28 FAW samples collected from different host plants and locations in China were identified as the corn strain. This suggests that the rice strain has not yet invaded China. This method allows discrimination of FAW from other Lepidopteran pests and distinguishes the two FAW host strains.

Evidence of two mitochondrial lineages and genetic variability in forensically important Lucilia eximia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Colombia

Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a blowfly with medical and forensic importance that shows genetic and color variation, however, these variations have not justified the description of new species. But in forensic entomology an accurate identification of species and subpopulations is crucial. We explored the genetic variation of L. eximia from eight localities, in five natural regions in Colombia using two mitochondrial fragments, including the standard locus for insect identification COI and the Cytb-tRNA-Ser-ND1 region. We found significant differentiation at COI and Cytb-tRNA-Ser-ND1 level, characterizing two lineages and revealing a deep and significant genetic split. High values of FST and genetic distances supported the two lineages. The origin of the divergence of L. eximia remains to discover. Examining whether the lineages have diverse ecological and biological behaviors could be a significant impact on the use of L. eximia in forensic and medical science. Our results could have relevant implications for the use of post-mortem interval estimation based on insect evidence, as well as our sequences improve the database used in DNA-based methods for identifying forensically important flies.

MORPHOLOGIC OBSERVATION AND FIRST MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF ENCYCLOMETRA JAPONICA (DIGENEA: ENCYCLOMETRIDAE) IN THE DIGESTIVE TRACT OF WILD TIGER KEELBACKS (RHABDOPHIS TIGRINUS) IN JAPAN

Encyclometra japonica Yoshida and Ozaki, 1929 is a fluke that parasitizes the digestive tract of snakes. When the species was first reported, it was originally characterized on the basis of morphologic features, namely, the characteristics of the 2 testes located obliquely in the anterior-posterior direction, and the position of the ventral sucker one-fourth to one-third from the anterior extremity. Thereafter, more specimens with other morphologic variations were reported, and a new morphologic feature for species discrimination was proposed. However, the proposal is uncertain, and the criteria for morphologic discrimination between E. japonica and other Encyclometra species remain debatable. Thus, morphologically discriminable characteristics on the basis of a sufficient number of specimens are required, and molecular methods for species identification that allow for a more objective assessment need to be established. Therefore, in the present study, nucleotide sequences of 18S, 28S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of E. japonica were determined along with detailed morphologic observations for the first time. Key characteristics were observed in all specimens, whereas some morphologic variations were observed in the symmetry of the cecum. The COI sequences, which are known to be variable genetic regions, were identical among all specimens; therefore, all of them were considered the same species. This result clarifies the high morphologic variation in E. japonica. The 18S and 28S sequences were 99.78% and 99.11-99.19% similar to those of Encylometra colubrimurorum. The high degree of homology between these genes indicates that E. japonica and E. colubrimurorum are closely related but independent species. The present data will be used for the identification of E. japonica and to evaluate the relationships within the genus Encyclometra.

First Record of the Tortoise Tick, Amblyomma geoemydae (Cantor, 1847) (Acari: Ixodidae) Parasitizing a Tree Shrew, Tupaia glis (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in West Malaysia

The tick genus Amblyomma Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) has received little attention in Malaysia; therefore, its associated hosts and distribution records are poorly known. In this study, we collected six Amblyomma sp. individuals (two larvae and four adults) that infested a common treeshrew, Tupaia glis (Diard, 1820) (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) caught in a recreational area in Sungai Lembing, Pahang (West Malaysia). The adult female ticks were morphologically identified according to taxonomic keys prior to molecular identification using cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rDNA genes. The ticks were genetically verified as Amblyomma geoemydae (Cantor, 1847) with 98%-99% similarity to the available GenBank sequences. Neighbor-joining (NJ) trees indicated that A. geoemydae was clearly distinguished from other Amblyomma ticks and this was supported with high bootstrap values. This paper is the first to report A. geoemydae ticks infesting T. glis and provides a new tick-host record from West Malaysia. This information is significant for further investigation, specifically on this tick species as potential vector of tick-borne disease (TBD) agents.

Culex (Culex) longitubus, A New Species of the Mimeticus Subgroup (Diptera: Culicidae) From Bhutan

Culex longitubus Somboon, Namgay & Harbach is described as a new species of the Mimeticus Subgroup of the subgenus Culex. The larva is most similar to the larva of Cx. tianpingensis Chen from China, but is distinguished by the length of the siphon and the anal papillae, the form of the comb scales and pecten spines, and the development of setae 7-P, 13-T, 1-X, and 4-X. The adults have wing markings and male genitalia similar to those of species of the Mimeticus Complex. Phylogenetic analysis of COI sequences revealed that the new species is closely related to Cx. murrelli Lien of the Mimulus Complex. The immature stages of the new species were found in stagnant pools and marshes at high altitudes in several districts of Bhutan.

Reinertia, a New Subgenus of the Genus Aedes Meigen and Its Type Species Aedes (Reinertia) suffusus (Diptera: Culicidae), Newly Recorded From Bhutan

A new subgenus, Reinertia Somboon, Namgay & Harbach, of the genus Aedes Meigen and its type species, Ae. suffusus Edwards, are described from specimens reared from larvae and pupae found in a tree hole in Bhutan. The scutum of the adults is mostly covered with narrow pale falcate scales. The proboscis, maxillary palpus, tibiae, and tarsi are dark-scaled. The gonocoxite of the male genitalia bears a unique setose basomesal sclerite. The larva closely resembles larvae of the subgenus Downsiomyia Vargus in having setae 4-6-C with numerous branches and inserted more or less on level with seta 7-C, abdominal seta 12-I is present and the comb is composed of 6-10 spine-like scales arranged in an irregular row. Surprisingly, Reinertia shares features of the adult habitus, male genitalia, and larva with the Palearctic subgenus Dahliana Reinert, Harbach & Kitching. However, in phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial COI gene of species representing 38 subgenera of Aedes and six other genera of the tribe Aedini Neveu-Lemaire, Reinertia was not associated with Dahliana or Downsiomyia. In both maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of the data, Ae. suffusus was recovered as the weakly supported sister of a clade composed of five species of the subgenus Protomacleaya Theobald. In the absence of strong support, and because Protomacleaya is an unnatural group of species that resemble each other phenetically by virtue of what they lack, Ae. suffusus cannot be placed in the subgenus Protomacleaya. Thus, the morphological and molecular data attest the uniqueness of Ae. suffusus and its recognition as a monobasic subgeneric lineage.

Pleistocene Ice Ages Created New Evolutionary Lineages, but Limited Speciation in Northeast Pacific Winged Kelp

The extent that Pleistocene climate variability promoted speciation has been much debated. Here, we surveyed genetic markers in winged kelp Alaria in the Gulf of Alaska, Northeast Pacific Ocean to understand how paleoclimates may have influenced diversity in this kelp. The study included wide geographic sampling over 2800 km and large sample sizes compared to previous studies of this kelp. Mitochondrial 5'-COI (664 bp), plastid rbcL-3' (740 bp) and 8 microsatellite markers in 16 populations resolved 5 well-defined lineages. COI-rbcL haplotypes were distributed chaotically among populations around the Gulf of Alaska. Principal Coordinates Analysis of microsatellite genotypes grouped plants largely by organellar lineage instead of geography, indicating reproductive isolation among lineages. However, microsatellite markers detected hybrids at 3 sites where lineages co-occurred. Local adaptation on various time scales may be responsible for some genetic differences between populations located along wave-energy and salinity gradients, but the chaotic pattern of variability over hundreds of kilometers is likely due to isolations in northern refugia during Pleistocene ice ages. The range of divergences between populations indicates that episodic glaciations led to the creation of new lineages, but population turnover (local extinctions and recolonizations) limited the formation of new species in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean.

The First Molecular and Phenotypic Characterization of the Invasive Population of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Central Balkans

Aedes (Stegomya) albopictus (Skuse 1984), the Asian tiger mosquito, represents the most invasive and one of the medically most important mosquito vectors. Although native to South East Asia, the species has recently spread globally, and was registered in the city of Novi Sad (Serbia, Central Balkans) in August 2018. We characterized the invasive population using phenotypic (wing size and shape) and molecular (nuclear, internal transcribed spacer 2- ITS2, and mitochondrial, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I- COI) markers. The results of phenotypic analyses indicated that the Serbian population could be differentiated from the native (Thailand) and invasive (Hawaii and Florida) populations due to restricted gene flow, founder effect, and supposed different strain origin. The Serbian population showed genetic homogeneity, indicative of a small founder number (bottleneck invasion model). Despite the incorporation of ITS2 GenBank sequences into the data set, neither spatial (Geneland) nor nonspatial (BAPS) genetic structuring analyses helped infer the Serbian population origin. However, the comparison of the retrieved COI haplotype with previously characterized mitogenomes indicated a temperate strain origin, capable of overwintering. Such findings suggest that the newly registered Ae. albopictus population could be able to establish itself since previous studies outlined Novi Sad as a suitable area.