Preliminary dengue vector surveillance in the Sunda Islands, Indonesia: Interchange of breeding habitat preferences of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Ovitrap surveillance was conducted to determine the infestation patterns of dengue vectors in fourteen study sites across eight provinces located in the Sunda Islands, Indonesia. High ovitrap indices up to 70% and 90% were obtained from indoor and outdoor areas, respectively. Mean numbers of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae ranged from 0.13 to 14.50 and 0.10 to 18.60, respectively. Mixed infestation (<10%) and interchange of breeding habitat preferences of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti were also observed in the present study.

Monitoring Insecticide Resistance Profiles of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Sunda Islands of Indonesia Based on Diagnostic Doses of Larvicides.

This study was conducted to monitor the susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) larvae in the Sunda Islands of Indonesia against various organophosphates and organochlorines. Larval bioassay was performed in accordance with the World Health Organization standard protocol. Field-collected and reference strains of Ae. aegypti larvae were tested against diagnostic doses of eight larvicides belonging to organophosphates and organochlorines, namely bromophos (0.050 mg/liter), chlopyrifos (0.002 mg/liter), fenitrothion (0.020 mg/liter), fenthion (0.025 mg/liter), malathion (0.125 mg/liter), temephos (0.012 mg/liter), DDT (0.012 mg/liter), and dieldrin (0.025 mg/liter). Mortality rates of larvae were recorded at 24-h posttreatment. This study showed that Ae. aegypti larvae from Padang, Samarinda, Manggarai Barat, and South Central Timor were susceptible to both fenitrothion and dieldrin (mortality rates ≥ 98%). About 6 out of 10 field strains of Ae. aegypti larvae were resistant (<80% mortality rates) against fenthion, whereas Ae. aegypti larvae from Kuningan, Samarinda, Sumba, and South Central Timor exhibited some degrees of resistance (mortality rates 80-98%). All field-collected Ae. aegypti larvae were resistant against diagnostic doses of chlorpyrifos, malathion, temephos, and DDT with mortality rates ranging from 0 to 74.67%. Continued insecticide susceptibility studies are essential to identify the efficacy of insecticides for an improved dengue vector control and to delay the development of insecticide resistance.

A new species and seven new records of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Kalimantan, Indonesia.

A new species of black fly, Simulium (Gomphostilbia) paserense sp. nov., is described based on a pharate pupa and mature larvae from East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Simulium (G.) paserense sp. nov. is placed in the Simulium epistum species-group of the subgenus Gomphostilbia and is characterized by the pupal gill with 13 short, slender filaments arising at the same level from a short common basal stalk and three dorsomedial trichomes (plus three ventrolateral trichomes) on each side of the pupal thorax closely arising from one another, both characters rarely occurring in Gomphostilbia species. Taxonomic notes are given to separate this new species from its close allies, S. (G.) barioense Takaoka and S. (G.) fulgidum Takaoka, both described from Sarawak. Seven known species, S. (G.) cheongi Takaoka and Davies, S. (G.) lehi Takaoka, S. (G.) sarawakense Takaoka, S. (G.) tahanense Takaoka and Davies, S. (Simulium) mirum Takaoka, Sofian-Azirun and Low, S. (S.) keningauense Takaoka and S. (S.) sabahense Smart and Clifford, are newly recorded from Kalimantan. The male and larva of S. (G.) sarawakense are described for the first time.