The Black Flies of Subtropical and Tropical Asia Taxonomy and Biology

About this book

This book uncovers the entire picture of the black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) fauna in subtropical and tropical Asia (the Oriental Region). Increased discoveries of new species of black flies in the Oriental Region have disclosed a remarkable diversity in terms of phylogenetic lineages and morphological features, particularly adult genitalia and pupal gills. The black fly fauna in the Oriental Region is found to be completely different from those in other regions.

The book has two aims, academic and practical. The introduction provides general information on the biology and effects on human and animal health and welfare of black flies and introduces the unique characteristics of the black fly fauna in this region. Part I proposes a classification scheme for all 671 named and 45 unnamed species of Oriental black flies, which are placed 11 subgenera and 36 species-groups of the genus Simulium. In Part II, synoptic accounts are given for their distribution, bionomics, and taxonomic comments of all the species. In Part III, the faunas of black flies in 15 countries or areas (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sunda Archipelago [Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores and Timor], East Indonesia [Sulawesi, Maluku Islands and Irian Jaya], Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, South China, Nansei Islands [Japan]), are presented, and species lists and identification keys for females, males, pupae and larvae, are constructed. Ninety-eight figures of 1,691 line-drawings highlight various unique morphological characteristics of most subgenera and species-groups.

Parts I and II are academically essential for medical or biological scientists and students to study black flies. Keys to identify species in 15 countries or areas in Part III are of practical use for health workers for the control of insects of medical and veterinary importance, as well as for ecologists studying aquatic invertebrates. Many novel morphological characteristics illustrated in the figures appeal to readers and show the importance of biodiversity of natural terrestrial ecosystems. The contents of this book resulted from the author's taxonomic review of all 716 Oriental species of black flies, with reference to 481 publications.

Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Systematic treatments of subgenera of the genus Simulium
Chapter 3. Keys to identify 11 subgenera
Chapter 4. Subgenus Asiosimulium
Chapter 5. Subgenus Boophthora
Chapter 6. Subgenus Byssodon
Chapter 7. Subgenus Daviesellum
Chapter 8. Subgenus Eusimulium
Chapter 9. Subgenus Gomphostilbia
Chapter 10. Subgenus Montisimulium
Chapter 11. Subgenus Nevermannia
Chapter 12. Subgenus Simulium
Chapter 13. Subgenus Wallacellum
Chapter 14. Subgenus Wilhelmia
Chapter 15. Subgenus Asiosimulium
Chapter 16. Subgenus Boophthora
Chapter 17. Subgenus Byssodon
Chapter 18. Subgenus Daviesellum
Chapter 19. Subgenus Eusimulium
Chapter 20. Subgenus Gomphostilbia
Chapter 21. Subgenus Montisimulium
Chapter 22. Subgenus Nevermannia
Chapter 23. Subgenus Simulium
Chapter 24. Subgenus Wallacellum
Chapter 25. Subgenus Wilhelmia
Chapter 26. India Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 27. Nepal Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 28. Bhutan Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 29. Myanmar Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 30. Sri Lanka Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 31. Thailand Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 32. Vietnam Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 33. Peninsular Malaysia Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 34. Borneo (Sarawak, Sabah, Kalimantan) Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 35. Sunda Archipelago Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 36. East Indonesia Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 37. South China Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 38. Philippines Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 39. Taiwan Overview, List of species, Identification keys
Chapter 40. Nansei Islands (Japan) Overview, List of species, Identification keys

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Biography

Hiroyuki Takaoka has been a professor emeritus at Oita University, Japan, since 2010, and a visiting professor at the Tropical Infectious Disease Research and Education Centre, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, since 2020. He was a professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya, from 2010 to 2017. His research interest is the taxonomy and parasite transmission of black flies. His contributions include the determination of the vector of human onchocerciasis in an Amazonas endemic area of Venezuela, the discoveries of a new zoonotic onchocerciasis and its vector in Japan, and the descriptions of three new subgenera and 524 new species of black flies. He received the academic award of the Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology in 1995 for his extensive taxonomic and parasite transmission studies of black flies in Japan, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America, and the academic award of "Prof. Ichiro Miyazaki" in 1996 for his creative works on zoonotic onchocerciasis.