AsianScientist (Apr. 28, 2016) – A new species of black fly has been discovered in the Indonesian 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 the fly while surveying aquatic stages of black flies in Indonesia. In total, they collected nine species, two of which were new to science, although only one is described in the article.
The new species, Simulium kalimantanense, was named in honor of the Indonesian state of Kalimantan, where it was discovered. This new fly is also the first known member of the Simulium (Gomphostilbia) banauense species-group to be found in Borneo.
While the authors provided a complete description of S. kalimantanense, the biology and behavioral habits of this new species, including whether or not it bites humans or other animals, are as yet unknown.
“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,” said first author, Dr. Hiroyuki Takaoka.
The article can be found at: Takaoka et al. (2016) A New Species of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) (Diptera: Simuliidae) From Kalimantan, Indonesia, With Keys to Identify 19 Bornean Species of the Subgenus Gomphostilbia.
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Source: Entomological Society of America; Photo: Hiroyuki Takaoka.
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