Date: April 20, 2016
Source: Entomological Society of
America
A new species of black fly has
been discovered in Indonesia on the island of Borneo. The new species, which
belongs to the family Simuliidae, is described in the Journal of Medical
Entomology.
A team of researchers from the
University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, discovered it while surveying
aquatic stages of black flies in Indonesia. In total, they collected nine
species, and two of them were new to science, although only one is described in
the JME paper.
The new species, Simulium kalimantanense, was named in
honor of the Indonesian state of Kalimantan, where it was discovered.
The biology and behavioral habits
of S. kalimantanense, including
whether or not it bites humans or other animals, are yet unknown.
"This is a new species, so
its biting habits remain unknown," said Dr. Hiroyuki Takaoka, one of the
authors. "One species, Simulium
asakoae, of the subgenus Gomphostilbia, to which this new species
belongs, is known to be a vector of an unknown filariasis -- a parasitic
disease caused by infection with roundworms -- and it probably parasitizes
birds. So there is a possibility of this new species carrying some roundworms
that can infect wild mammals or birds."
The new fly is the first known
member of the Simulium (Gomphostilbia)
banauense species-group to be found
in Borneo.
A complete description of the new
species, along with a key for identifying the 19 Bornean species in the
subgenus Gomphostilbia, is provided in the article.
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