First collection records of Culiseta (Culicella) nipponica in the Republic of Korea.

The 1st confirmed record of Culiseta nipponica for the Republic of Korea was made at Osan Air Base and Tongilchon, Gyeonggi Province, and at the Incheon International Airport, Incheon metropolitan area, using carbon dioxide-baited light and Mosquito Magnet traps. Larval surveys near adult collection sites during June and August 2013 were negative for Culiseta nipponica.

A pictorial key to the species of Aedes (Ochlerotatus and Coetzeemyia) in the Afrotropical Region (Diptera: Culicidae).

Six species of the subgenus Ochlerotatus and one species of the subgenus Coetzeemyia of the genus Aedes in the Afrotropical Region are treated in a pictorial key based on diagnostic morphological features. Brief remarks on the new reclassification of the genus Aedes are also included.

A new species of the genus Orthopodomyia from Ototomo, Cameroon, with notes on other Orthopodomyia group-species.

A new species belonging to the new Ototomoensis Group, Orthopodomyia ototomoensis Huang and Rueda, is described from Ototomo, Cameroon. Diagnostic features for separating members of Nkolbissonensis Group and Ototomoensis Group from other Orthopodomyia groups are provided. Two supplemental keys are presented: "A Pictorial Key to the Species of the Genus Orthopodomyia Ototomoensis Group in the Afrotropical Region (Diptera: Culicidae)" and "A Pictorial Key to the Species of the Genus Orthopodomyia Nkolbissonensis Group in the Afrotropical Region (Diptera: Culicidae)".

Malaria vectors in the Greater Mekong Subregion: overview of malaria vectors and remaining challenges.

Malaria transmission in the Greater Mekong Subregion depends on, among other factors, vector behavior and ecology, and the degree of contact between humans and the Anopheles mosquitoes. This chapter will review and update knowledge presented in the 2003 Mekong Malaria monograph for planning and implementing evidence-based vector control programs. Collation of 150 publications and reports showed that the highest number of vector species reported included An. minimus Theobald complex (26.74%), An. dirus Peyton and Harrison (14.26%), An. sundaicus (Rodenwaldt) (5.65%), An. sinensis Wiedemann (4.29%), An. maculatus Theobald (4.23%), An. philippinensis Ludlow (1.62%), An. annularis Van der Wulp (0.37%), An. campestris Reid (0.25%), and An. lesteri Baisas and Hu (=anthropophagus) (0.045%). Other Anopheles species accounted for 44.44%. Anopheles dirus was incriminated as a vector of Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in Viet Nam for the first time, but remained a suspected simian vector in other countries in the region. Well-designed trials of innovative strategies in intractable and difficult situations are needed, including a better understanding of the various causal relations and interactions between physiology, environment, and vector bionomics. While current front-line vector control interventions have contributed significantly to a worldwide decrease of malaria, indoor residual spraying and insecticide-treated bednets/ long lasting insecticidal bednets have had variable impact on exophilic/exophagic and/or early biting vectors. As vectors' responses to control measures vary in different areas, entomological studies on the efficacy of insecticide-treated bednets and other innovative control tools to ensure that strategies are tailored to local circumstances. Given that current tools are insufficient to break transmission cycles, more strategic investments into research on outdoor transmission, monitoring of insecticide resistance, vector species identities, vector mapping, target profiles of new control technologies and delivery systems are required.

Mosquito bisection as a variable in estimates of PCR-derived malaria sporozoite rates.

BACKGROUND: Highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods offer an alternative to the light microscopy examination of mosquito salivary glands for the determination of malaria sporozoite rates in wild caught female Anopheles. Removal of mosquito abdomens is assumed to eliminate false positives caused by malaria oocyst DNA in the midgut. This assumption has not been tested with current gold standard PCR assays, and for the variety of conditions that specimens could encounter in the laboratory and field. METHODS: Laboratory Anopheles stephensi were used that had been infected with Plasmodium falciparum 6-7 days and 14 days post infection (p.i.), when oocysts only and oocysts + sporozoites, respectively, are developed. Mosquitoes were killed and immediately frozen, air dried before being frozen, or stored under humid conditions overnight before being frozen, to simulate a range of conditions in the field. Additionally, abdomens were removed anterior to, at, or posterior to the junction of the abdomen and thorax, and both portions were processed using a standard nested PCR of the small sub-unit nuclear ribosomal genes (ssrDNA) with products visualized on agarose gels. RESULTS: Overall, 4.1 % (4/97) of head + thorax samples that were 6-7 days p.i. gave apparent false positives for sporozoites, compared to 9.3 % (9/97) that were positive for abdomens. No positives (0/52) were obtained when similar specimens were bisected anterior to the junction of the thorax and abdomen, compared to 21.2 % (11/52) that were positive for posterior portions. Multiple bands were noted for positives from the 'Frozen' treatment and the rate of false negatives due to DNA degradation appears higher under the 'Humid' treatment. Reproducibility of results for the 'Frozen' treatment was 90 %. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the importance of specimen condition and the bisection step in determining sporozoite rates, little attention has been paid to them in the literature. Recommendations from this study are that: 1) care needs to be taken to reduce DNA degradation in the field; 2) mosquito abdomens be separated anterior to the junction of the thorax and abdomen; and 3) DNA sequencing of a subsample of positive results should be undertaken if possible.

Mosquito fauna of Ubin Island, Singapore.

We report the mosquito species and their distribution records for Ubin Island, Singapore, based on our field collections in February 2010, routine adult and larval surveys from 1993 to 2009 by Singapore operational officers, and accessioned specimens deposited in the Environmental Health Institute, Singapore, and the US National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. A total of 25 species and 6 unidentified species belonging to 9 genera (Aedes, Anopheles, Armigeres, Coquillettidia, Culex, Lutzia, Mansonia, Uranotaenia, and Verrallina) were identified and recorded from Ubin Island, based on specimens collected from 1993 to 2010.

The AFHSC-Division of GEIS Operations Predictive Surveillance Program: a multidisciplinary approach for the early detection and response to disease outbreaks.

The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Division of Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System Operations (AFHSC-GEIS) initiated a coordinated, multidisciplinary program to link data sets and information derived from eco-climatic remote sensing activities, ecologic niche modeling, arthropod vector, animal disease-host/reservoir, and human disease surveillance for febrile illnesses, into a predictive surveillance program that generates advisories and alerts on emerging infectious disease outbreaks. The program's ultimate goal is pro-active public health practice through pre-event preparedness, prevention and control, and response decision-making and prioritization. This multidisciplinary program is rooted in over 10 years experience in predictive surveillance for Rift Valley fever outbreaks in Eastern Africa. The AFHSC-GEIS Rift Valley fever project is based on the identification and use of disease-emergence critical detection points as reliable signals for increased outbreak risk. The AFHSC-GEIS predictive surveillance program has formalized the Rift Valley fever project into a structured template for extending predictive surveillance capability to other Department of Defense (DoD)-priority vector- and water-borne, and zoonotic diseases and geographic areas. These include leishmaniasis, malaria, and Crimea-Congo and other viral hemorrhagic fevers in Central Asia and Africa, dengue fever in Asia and the Americas, Japanese encephalitis (JE) and chikungunya fever in Asia, and rickettsial and other tick-borne infections in the U.S., Africa and Asia.

Mosquito species composition and Plasmodium vivax infection rates on Baengnyeong-do (island), Republic of Korea.

Vivax malaria is a significant military and civilian health threat in the north of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The island of Baengnyeong-do is the westernmost point of the ROK and is located close to the southwestern coast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Mosquitoes were collected using a black light trap on Baengnyeong-do, and Anopheles spp. were assayed by PCR, to identify the species, and screened for sporozoites of Plasmodium vivax. Of a subsample of 257 mosquitoes, Anopheles lesteri was the most frequently collected (49.8%), followed by Anopheles sinensis (22.6%), Anopheles pullus (18.7%), Anopheles kleini (7.8%), and Anopheles belenrae (1.2%). The overall sporozoite rate was 3.1%, with the highest rates observed in An. kleini (15.0%), An. sinensis (5.2%), and An. lesteri (1.6%). No sporozoite positive An. pullus or An. belenrae were observed. The results extend our knowledge of the distribution and potential role in malaria transmission of An. kleini, An. lesteri, and An. sinensis, for an area previously considered to be at a low risk for contracting vivax malaria.

Annotated world checklist of the Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae (17582021) (Acari: Trombiculoidea), with notes on nomenclature, taxonomy, and distribution.

The superfamily Trombiculoidea is a large and diverse group of acarines that comprises six families; of these, the families Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae are characterized by larvae commonly known as chiggers that are parasites of terrestrial vertebrates, including humans, and some species are of medical importance as vectors of chigger-borne rickettsiosis (scrub typhus), caused by the rickettsia Orientia tsutsugamushi. This paper presents an annotated checklist of 3,013 generally accepted chigger species, together with their distribution by zoogeographic region, and a non-comprehensive list of synonyms. A total of 58 new combinations are proposed by transferring species to different genera, treating some subgenera as genera, or updating current generic names. The checklist updates earlier catalogs of the world chigger fauna, but because the literature on chigger taxonomy is voluminous and scattered, similar, regional monographs were utilized in constructing the classificatory foundation. This list may not contain every species, synonym or taxonomic rearrangement that has been published, but it reflects the most recent arrangement of chigger taxa. Distribution records are primarily drawn from collection sites listed in the original species descriptions, together with subsequently published geographical records.

Species composition, larval habitats, seasonal occurrence and distribution of potential malaria vectors and associated species of Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Republic of Korea.

BACKGROUND: Larval mosquito habitats of potential malaria vectors and related species of Anopheles from three provinces (Gyeonggi, Gyeongsangbuk, Chungcheongbuk Provinces) of the Republic of Korea were surveyed in 2007. This study aimed to determine the species composition, seasonal occurrence and distributions of Anopheles mosquitoes. Satellite derived normalized difference vegetation index data (NDVI) was also used to study the seasonal abundance patterns of Anopheles mosquitoes. METHODS: Mosquito larvae from various habitats were collected using a standard larval dipper or a white plastic larval tray, placed in plastic bags, and were preserved in 100% ethyl alcohol for species identification by PCR and DNA sequencing. The habitats in the monthly larval surveys included artificial containers, ground depressions, irrigation ditches, drainage ditches, ground pools, ponds, rice paddies, stream margins, inlets and pools, swamps, and uncultivated fields. All field-collected specimens were identified to species, and relationships among habitats and locations based on species composition were determined using cluster statistical analysis. RESULTS: In about 10,000 specimens collected, eight species of Anopheles belonging to three groups were identified: Hyrcanus Group - Anopheles sinensis, Anopheles kleini, Anopheles belenrae, Anopheles pullus, Anopheles lesteri, Anopheles sineroides; Barbirostris Group - Anopheles koreicus; and Lindesayi Group - Anopheles lindesayi japonicus. Only An. sinensis was collected from all habitats groups, while An. kleini, An. pullus and An. sineroides were sampled from all, except artificial containers. The highest number of Anopheles larvae was found in the rice paddies (34.8%), followed by irrigation ditches (23.4%), ponds (17.0%), and stream margins, inlets and pools (12.0%). Anopheles sinensis was the dominant species, followed by An. kleini, An. pullus and An. sineroides. The monthly abundance data of the Anopheles species from three locations (Munsan, Jinbo and Hayang) were compared against NDVI and NDVI anomalies. CONCLUSION: The species composition of Anopheles larvae varied in different habitats at various locations. Anopheles populations fluctuated with the seasonal dynamics of vegetation for 2007. Multi-year data of mosquito collections are required to provide a better characterization of the abundance of these insects from year to year, which can potentially provide predictive capability of their population density based on remotely sensed ecological measurements.

New record of Lipoptena cervi and updated checklist of the louse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) of the Republic of Korea.

ABSTRACT This is the first confirmed record of the genus Lipoptena Nitzsch and its species, Lipoptena cervi (Linnaeus), from the Republic of Korea. A total of five females and 10 males was collected from eight of 29 Korean water deer, Hydropotes inermis argyropus Swinhoe, from Gangwon and Gyeongsangbuk Provinces and Ulsan Metropolitan Area from May through October 2008. An updated checklist of Korean hippoboscids contains nine species in six genera (Hippobosca Linnaeus, Icosta Speiser, Lipoptena, Ornithoctona Speiser, Ornithomya Lattreille, and Ornithophila Rondani). Hosts, collection records, and repositories are also noted.

MosquitoMap and the Mal-area calculator: new web tools to relate mosquito species distribution with vector borne disease.

BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes are important vectors of diseases but, in spite of various mosquito faunistic surveys globally, there is a need for a spatial online database of mosquito collection data and distribution summaries. Such a resource could provide entomologists with the results of previous mosquito surveys, and vector disease control workers, preventative medicine practitioners, and health planners with information relating mosquito distribution to vector-borne disease risk. RESULTS: A web application called MosquitoMap was constructed comprising mosquito collection point data stored in an ArcGIS 9.3 Server/SQL geodatabase that includes administrative area and vector species x country lookup tables. In addition to the layer containing mosquito collection points, other map layers were made available including environmental, and vector and pathogen/disease distribution layers. An application within MosquitoMap called the Mal-area calculator (MAC) was constructed to quantify the area of overlap, for any area of interest, of vector, human, and disease distribution models. Data standards for mosquito records were developed for MosquitoMap. CONCLUSION: MosquitoMap is a public domain web resource that maps and compares georeferenced mosquito collection points to other spatial information, in a geographical information system setting. The MAC quantifies the Mal-area, i.e. the area where it is theoretically possible for vector-borne disease transmission to occur, thus providing a useful decision tool where other disease information is limited. The Mal-area approach emphasizes the independent but cumulative contribution to disease risk of the vector species predicted present. MosquitoMap adds value to, and makes accessible, the results of past collecting efforts, as well as providing a template for other arthropod spatial databases.

Anopheles belenrae, a potential vector of Plasmodium vivax in the Republic of Korea.

The malarial parasite, Plasmodium vivax, was detected in 4 species of Anopheles (Hyrcanus Group) mosquitoes, namely An. kleini, An. pullus, An. belenrae, and An. sinensis, from Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea (ROK). This study confirmed that An. belenrae was infected by P. vivax, and implicated this species as a potential vector of vivax malaria in the ROK.

Validation of ecological niche models for potential malaria vectors in the Republic of Korea.

Data on molecularly identified adult and larval mosquitoes collected from 104 sites from the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 2007 were used to test the predictive ability of recently reported ecological niche models (ENMs) for 8 potential malaria vectors. The ENMs, based on the program Maxent and the least presence threshold criterion, predicted 100% of new collection locations for Anopheles sinensis, An. belenrae, An. pullus, and An. sineroides; 96% of locations for An. kleini; and 83% for An. lesteri, but were relatively unsuccessful for the infrequently collected non-Hyrcanus group species An. koreicus and An. lindesayi japonicas. The ENMs produced with the use of Maxent had fewer omission errors than those using the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction program. The results emphasize the importance of independent test data for validation and improvement of ENMs, and lend support for the further development of ENMs for predicting the distribution of malaria vectors in the ROK.

Wing size and parity as markers of cohort demography for potential Anopheles (Culicidae: Diptera) malaria vectors in the Republic of Korea.

Wing lengths of parous (P) and nulliparous (NP) PCR-identified female Anopheles belenrae, An. kleini, An. pullus, and An. sinensis were determined from weekly trap collections at Camp Humphreys (CH), Ganghwa Island (GH), and Warrior Base (WB), Republic of Korea (ROK) during Jun-Oct, 2009. Wing length was greatest at the beginning and end of the study period. Wing length of NPs tended to be less than that of Ps before the period of maximum greening (Jul-Aug) but greater thereafter. Larger specimens tended to be Ps, and weekly wing length of Ps appeared less variable than NPs, possibly due to selection. A bimodal wing length frequency distribution of An. sinensis suggested two forms comprising small- (≤4.5 mm, SW) and large-winged females (>4.5 mm, LW). LW comprised the majority of peaks in abundance, however %SW, while still a minority, often increased during these times suggesting a density-dependent effect. At WB and GH, a two to three-week periodicity in %SW was obvious for An. sinensis and An. kleini. Analyses of weather station and satellite data showed that smaller-winged An. sinensis were associated with warmer, more humid, and greener times of the year. SW and LW specimens possibly result from agricultural practices that are common across large areas; regular synchronous peaks of SW and LW were observed from different sites. Peaks in SW Ps followed peaks in NPs in a 'ripple effect' one to two weeks apart, suggesting that wing length combined with parity could be used to follow the emergence and survival of mosquito cohorts.

Importance of the "what," "when," and "where" of mosquito collection events.

There is increasing need to apply established standards for recording data on mosquito collection events, because of the diversity of potential data providers, and the growth and interoperability of online databases designed to host these collection records. In particular, adequate taxonomic and georeference data are needed for geodatabases such as Mosquitomap (http://www. mosquitomap.org/) that map and compare these collection points with other spatial information in a geographical information system (GIS) setting. Accurately georeferenced collection data are crucial for understanding mosquito biogeography, ecology, and the impact of environmental changes, as well as for species distribution modeling, planning mosquito surveys, and for determining disease risk. We sampled representative published reports of new mosquito species records from 1980 in North America to the present to ascertain the quality of georeference information. Our results show that authors have increased the frequency of reporting georeferences but that they vary in the precision of the georeference, and some information, such as the source, date, and datum of the georeference, are usually not given. We discuss recently established standards for recording collection events, some relevant online resources available to researchers to assist them in their georeferencing, and the data input schema developed for the Mosquitomap database. We propose that the mosquito research community adopt data standards for recording and reporting the results of mosquito collection events to increase the value of these data. In particular, we recommend authors lodge voucher specimens and use a GPS set to the WGS84 datum.

Geographic distribution and ecology of potential malaria vectors in the Republic of Korea.

Environmental geospatial data and adult and larval mosquito collection data for up to 106 sites throughout the Republic of Korea (ROK) were used to develop ecological niche models (ENMs) of the potential geographic distribution for eight anopheline species known to occur there. The areas predicted suitable for the Hyrcanus Group species were the most extensive for Anopheles sinensis Wiedemann, An. kleini Rueda, An. belenrae Rueda, and An. pullus Yamada, intermediate for An. sineroides Yamada, and the most restricted for An. lesteri Baisas and Hu and the non-Hyrcanus Group species An. koreicus Yamada and Watanabe and An. lindesayi Yamada. The relative vectorial importance of these species is unknown, and all, except An. koreicus and An. lindesayi, are predicted to occur widely in the northwest of the ROK where malaria transmission has been sporadic since its resurgence in 1993. Our ENMs suggest that it is unlikely that An. koreicus and An. lindesayi are vectors, but we do not document consistent geographic differentiation that might incriminate any of the other species as vectors. Because all species are predicted to occur in North Korea, we also cannot reject the hypothesis that malaria infected mosquitoes from North Korea may have been the cause of the resurgence of malaria in the ROK. Ecological differentiation of the eight species is inferred from collection locations and 34 environmental layers based on remote sensing and global climatic averages. Interspecific differences were noted, and characterizing mosquito habitats by ground-based and remote sensing methods is proposed.

Overwintering of Anopheles lindesayi japonicus larvae in the Republic of Korea.

Mosquito larval surveillance for environmental monitoring and pest-control purposes was conducted monthly at dredged soil-dumping areas during the construction of a new harbor in Yongcheon Bay, approximately 5 km SE of Jinhae, on the SW side of Namsan (Mt. Nam) and across the bay from Su-do (Su Island) in Gyeongsangnam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK) from November 2007 through April 2008. During this study, mosquitoes collected as overwintering larvae were Aedes togoi in brackish rock pools along the seashore and Anopheles lindesayi japonicus along the vegetated margins of a slow-flowing drainage ditch and associated freshwater ground pools containing green algae. Overwintering An. lindesayi larvae also were collected along stream margins and stream pools of moderate- to fast-flowing mountain streams near Chungju (Chungcheongbuk Province) (October 2007 and March 2008) and Munsan (Gyeonggi Province) (September 2007 and April 2008). First and second instars were collected and identified in late September 2007 through February 2008. During March and April, collections were primarily 3rd and 4th instars, and by the end of April, pupae were collected. This is the first report of An. lindesayi japonicus overwintering as larvae in the ROK.

New records and updated checklist of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from Lao People's Democratic Republic, with special emphasis on adult and larval surveillance in Khammuane Province.

A list of mosquitoes from the Nakai Nam Theun National Protected Area along the Nam Theun, Nam Mon, Nam Noy, and Nam On rivers, Nakai District, Khammuane Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is presented. Fifty-four mosquito taxa were identified, including 15 new records in the Lao PDR. A fragment of the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, barcode region, was generated for 34 specimens, and together with four specimens already published, it represented 23 species in eight genera. In addition, an updated checklist of 170 mosquito taxa from Lao PDR is provided based on field collections from Khammuane Province, the literature, and specimens deposited in the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History (SI-NMNH), Washington, DC, U.S.A. This paper provides additional information about the biodiversity of mosquito fauna in Lao PDR.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Singapore: Updated Checklist and New Records.

Prior to 1965, Singapore was part of the Malaya (now Malaysia) and was usually not mentioned when mosquito records were reported for Malaya. Consequently, many species that occurred in Singapore were not listed in the world mosquito catalog, and the available checklist for Singapore since 1986 is incomplete, with some imprecise species information. In updating this checklist, we examined and verified mosquito specimens collected from Singapore in various depositories, including a thorough review of past taxonomic literature. Here, we report a checklist of 182 mosquito species, 33 new distribution records, and a consolidated status list of vectors for Singapore. As Singapore is a travel hub and hosts one of the busiest container ports in the world, there is a risk of introducing mosquito species and their associated pathogens of human disease to the country. Hence, the distribution records are important to increase our knowledge on mosquito ecology as well as to understand the risk of newly introduced vectors and their associated pathogens.