Chang-uk Park

Ornithodoros sawaii Kitaoka and Suzuki (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) collected from nest soil and litter of Synthliboramphus antiquus and Hydrobates monorhis , on Chilbal I sland, southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea

Abstract The 65th Medical Brigade and Public Health Command Region-Pacific (Korea), in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program on Chilbal Island, a small, remote, uninhabited island in southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK), on 1 and 31 May and 15 September 2014. Ticks were collected from nesting soil and litter of the Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, and Swinhoes Storm Petrel, Hydrobates monorhis, using Tullgren funnels. A total of 12 Ornithodoros sawaii (2 females, 4 males, and 6 nymphs) were collected from 3/36 (8.3%) S. antiquus and 6/20 (30.0%) H. monorhis nest sites. Ticks were identified morphologically and species determination was confirmed using polymerase chain reaction techniques. This is the first report of the genus Ornithodoros and species O. sawaii from the ROK.

Morphometrics and Sexual Dimorphism of Chinese Goshawks (Accipiter soloensis)

Abstract Sex determination is a key component in many ecological and evolutionary studies, and morphological measurements, based on reversed sexual size dimorphism (RSD), are the most widely used means of sexing raptors. We studied morphometrics and sexual dimorphism of the poorly documented Chinese Goshawk (Accipiter soloensis) in the Republic of Korea, where we measured 54 birds and developed discriminant functions to allow sexing. The species showed apparent, but small, RSD in all of eight measured parameters, with the dimorphic index ranging from 1.39 for tarsus to 16.09 for body mass. A stepwise discriminant procedure, followed by discriminant function analysis (DFA), indicated that tail, bill, and head lengths were all reliable parameters for sex determination of goshawks with an accuracy of 100% among 30 individuals. Head length is often unavailable from museum specimens; however, a discriminant function using tail and bill lengths classified the sex of 44 goshawks with an accuracy of 95.5%. Our morphometric data and discriminant function may benefit further studies on the Chinese Goshawk by allowing easy sexing of most birds. MEDIDAS MORFOMÉTRICAS Y DIMORFISMO SEXUAL DE INDIVIDUOS DE ACCIPITER SOLOENSIS La determinación del sexo es un componente clave en diversos estudios ecológicos y evolucionarios, y las medidas morfométricas, basadas en el dimorfismo sexual invertido (DSI) son los medios más utilizados para determinar el sexo de las rapaces. Estudiamos las medidas morfométricas y el dimorfismo sexual de la especie rapaz poco documentada Accipiter soloensis en la República de Corea, donde medimos 54 aves y desarrollamos funciones discriminantes para permitir la determinación del sexo. La especie evidenció un DSI aparente pero pequeño en los ocho parámetros medidos, con el índice de dimorfismo variando de 1.39 para el tarso a 16.09 para la masa corporal. Un proceso discriminante paso a paso, seguido de un análisis de función discriminante (AFD), indicaron que las longitudes de la cola, el pico y la cabeza son todos parámetros confiables para la determinación del sexo de individuos de A. soloensis con una precisión del 100% en 30 individuos. El largo de la cabeza a menudo no se encuentra disponible en especímenes de museo; sin embargo, una función discriminante usando las longitudes de la cola y del pico clasificó el sexo de 44 individuos de A. soloensis con una precisión del 95.5%. Nuestros datos morfométricos y la función discriminante pueden beneficiar a otros estudios de A. soloensis al permitir una fácil determinación del sexo de la mayoría de las aves.

Ticks collected from soil/nest litter and live and dead nestlings of migratory seabirds during their breeding season at six uninhabited Islands, Republic of Korea during 2009 and 2014–2017

Abstract The 65th Medical Brigade (MED BDE)/Medical Department Activity-Korea (MEDDAC-K), in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance at six small, remote, uninhabited islands near the western (Nan Island), southwestern (Chilbal, Gugul, Gaerin, Hong, and Sogugul islands) and southeastern (Hong Island) coastal areas of the Republic of Korea (ROK) during 2009 and from 2014–2017. Ticks were collected from nest soil/litter of the Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus), Japanese Murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume), Swinhoes Storm Petrel (Hydrobates monorhis), Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris), Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus), and Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) using Tullgren funnels. Ticks also were collected from recently dead nestlings of Swinhoes Storm Petrel and Black-tailed Gull at Gugul, Sogugul, Gaerin, Nan, and Hong islands, and single ticks were collected from vegetation (tick drag) and a human bitten on Chilbal Island. A total of 1,578 ticks (61 females, 122 males, 290 nymphs, and 1,105 larvae), belonging to four genera and six species, were collected. Ornithodoros capensis (73.00%; 1,152) was the most commonly collected tick on migratory seabirds, followed by Ornithodoros sawaii (26.55%; 420), Ixodes uriae (0.19%; 3), and Ixodes signatus (0.13%, 2). One (0.06%) Haemaphysalis flava was collected by tick drag and one (0.06%) Amblyomma testudinarium was collected while biting one of the survey members. Ornithodoros species were identified morphologically and confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. This is the first record of O. sawaii collected from nest soil/litter during the 2017 nesting season of the Pacific Swift and Streaked Shearwater in the ROK.

Ornithodoros sawaii (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) collected from nest soil/litter of Synthliboramphus antiquus, Synthliboramphus wumizusume, and nest soil/litter and nestlings of Hydrobates monorhis on Gugul and Sogugul Islands, Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea

Abstract The 65th Medical Brigade and Medical Department Activity-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program on Gugul and Sogugul Islands, two small, remote, uninhabited islands in southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK) from 2015–2016. Ticks were collected from nest soil/litter of the Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, Japanese Murrelet, Synthliboramphus wumizusume, and Swinhoes Storm Petrel, Hydrobates monorhis, using Tullgren funnels. A total of 100 Ornithodoros sawaii (25 females, 56 males, 17 nymphs, and 2 larvae) were collected from 2/33 (6.1%) Ancient Murrelet, 3/11 (27.3%) Japanese Murrelet, and 23/94 (24.5%) Swinhoes Storm Petrel nest sites. In addition, 3 larvae were collected from Swinhoes Storm Petrel nestlings. Ticks were identified morphologically and species determination was confirmed using polymerase chain reaction techniques. This is the first record of O. sawaii collected from nest soil/litter of the Japanese Murrelet during this birds nesting season in the ROK.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) collected from nest soil and litter of Synthliboramphus antiquus on Chilbal Island, Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea, with the first Korean record of Ixodes uriae White

Abstract The 65th Medical Brigade and Medical Department Activity-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program on Chilbal Island during 2016. Chilbal Island is a small, remote, uninhabited government-protected island in southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK). Ticks were collected from nest soil and litter of the Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, using Tullgren funnels. A total of 4 Ixodes ticks (3 male Ixodes uriae and 1 female Ixodes signatus) were collected. The principal hosts of I. uriae are pelagic birds that have a largely circumpolar distribution. Ixodes signatus parasitizes other migratory birds in coastal areas of western North America and eastern Asia. This is the first report of I. uriaefrom the ROK.

New distribution and host records for Ornithodoros capensis Neumann and Ornithodoros sawaii Kitaoka and Suzuki (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) collected from Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris , nestlings and nest soil and litter on Hong and Nan Islands, Republic of Korea

Abstract The 65th Medical Brigade and Medical Department Activity-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program during 2014–2015 on two small, remote, uninhabited islands, Hong (Gull) Island, southern Gyeongnam Province, and Nan Island, western Chungnam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK). Argasid ticks were collected from Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) nestlings that had recently died and associated nest soil/litter, and all tick life history stages were identified morphologically. Because morphological keys are unreliable for the identification of adult and nymphal argasid ticks, identifications were confirmed by genotyping using polymerase chain reaction techniques. A total of 29 Ornithodoros capensis larvae and 2 Ornithodoros sawaii larvae were collected from 4 of 7 (57.1%) Black-tailed Gull nestlings that had recently died. An additional five O. capensis (2 males, 1 nymph, and 2 larvae) were collected from nest soil/litter. Only O. sawaii larvae (2/41, 4.9%) were collected from dead Black-tailed Gull nestlings on Nan Island. This is the first report of O. capensis from these seabird breeding islands.

Ticks collected from Chilbal Island, Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea, during 2014–2015

Abstract The 65th Medical Brigade and Public Health Command District-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program on Chilbal Island, a small, remote, uninhabited island in southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK), during 2014–2015. Ticks were collected by dragging vegetation and from nest soil and litter of the Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, and Swinhoes Storm Petrel, Hydrobates monorhis, using Tullgren funnels. A total of 115 ticks belonging to three genera and three species were collected. Ornithodoros sawaii (98.3%, 113 ticks) was the most frequently collected tick species, followed by Ixodes signatus (0.9%, 1 nymph) collected from nest soil and litter, and Haemaphysalis flava (0.9%, 1 male) collected by tick drag.