New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

New black fly species discovered in Indonesia

Date:
April 20, 2016
Source:
Entomological Society of America
Summary:
A new species of black fly has been discovered in Indonesia on the island of Borneo. The new species, belongs to the family Simuliidae.
Share:
FULL STORY

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.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Entomological Society of America. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Hiroyuki Takaoka et al. A New Species of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) (Diptera: Simuliidae) From Kalimantan, Indonesia, With Keys to Identify 19 Bornean Species of the Subgenus Gomphostilbia. Journal of Medical Entomology, April 2016 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjw017

Cite This Page:

Entomological Society of America. "New black fly species discovered in Indonesia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 April 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160420120554.htm>.
Entomological Society of America. (2016, April 20). New black fly species discovered in Indonesia. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160420120554.htm
Entomological Society of America. "New black fly species discovered in Indonesia." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160420120554.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES