The Black Flies of Subtropical and Tropical Asia

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. Introduction provides the 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 overviewed, 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 for the study of aquatic invertebrates. Many novel morphological characteristics illustrated in the figures appeal to readers and show the importance of biodiversity of natural terrestrial ecosystems. Contents of this book resulted from the author’s taxonomic review of all 716 Oriental species of black flies, with reference to 481 publications.

Hiroyuki Takaoka has been a professor emeritus, Oita University, Japan, since 2010, and a visiting professor, Tropical Infectious Disease Research and Education Centre, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, since 2020. He was a professor, 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 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.