Mahmoud S. Abdel-Dayem

The Potential Distribution of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Libya Based on Ecological Niche Model

ABSTRACT The increased cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis vectored by Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) in Libya have driven considerable effort to develop a predictive model for the potential geographical distribution of this disease. We collected adult P. papatasi from 17 sites in Musrata and Yefern regions of Libya using four different attraction traps. Our trap results and literature records describing the distribution of P. papatasi were incorporated into a MaxEnt algorithm prediction model that used 22 environmental variables. The model showed a high performance (AUC = 0.992 and 0.990 for training and test data, respectively). High suitability for P. papatasi was predicted to be largely confined to the coast at altitudes <600 m. Regions south of 30° N latitude were calculated as unsuitable for this species. Jackknife analysis identified precipitation as having the most significant predictive power, while temperature and elevation variables were less influential. The National Leishmaniasis Control Program in Libya may find this information useful in their efforts to control zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Existing records are strongly biased toward a few geographical regions, and therefore, further sand fly collections are warranted that should include documentation of such factors as soil texture and humidity, land cover, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data to increase the models predictive power.

Ecological niche modeling and land cover risk areas for rift valley fever vector, culex tritaeniorhynchus giles in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

Background The mosquito, Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles is a prevalent and confirmed Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) vector. This vector, in association with Aedimorphus arabiensis (Patton), was responsible for causing the outbreak of 2000 in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia. Methodology/Principal Findings Larval occurrence records and a total of 19 bioclimatic and three topographic layers imported from Worldclim Database were used to predict the larval suitable breeding habitats for this vector in Jazan Province using ArcGIS ver.10 and MaxEnt modeling program. Also, a supervised land cover classification from SPOT5 imagery was developed to assess the land cover distribution within the suitable predicted habitats. Eleven bioclimatic and slope attributes were found to be the significant predictors for this larval suitable breeding habitat. Precipitation and temperature were strong predictors of mosquito distribution. Among six land cover classes, the linear regression model (LM) indicated wet muddy substrate is significantly associated with high-very high suitable predicted habitats (R2 = 73.7%, P<0.05). Also, LM indicated that total dissolved salts (TDS) was a significant contributor (R2 = 23.9%, P<0.01) in determining mosquito larval abundance. Conclusion/Significance This model is a first step in understanding the spatial distribution of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and consequently the risk of RVFV in Saudi Arabia and to assist in planning effective mosquito surveillance and control programs by public health personnel and researchers.

Field Responses of Anopheles gambiae Complex (Diptera: Culicidae) in Liberia using Yeast-Generated Carbon Dioxide and Synthetic Lure-Baited Light Traps

ABSTRACT Malaria infection is a serious public health problem throughout Liberia, but vector surveillance is limited or nonexistent in remote regions of the country. To better understand the spatial and temporal distribution of malaria vectors in Liberia and to support vector and malaria activities of the Liberian Ministry of Health, a study was conducted to determine the efficacy of light traps baited with a synthetic lure and CO2 for capturing Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (Giles). Traps with a ultraviolet, light-emitting diode, and incandescent lights baited with a synthetic skin lure and CO2 combinations were evaluated at four field sites in three counties of Liberia for five consecutive nights every 8 wk during 2011. In total, 4,788 mosquitoes representing 56 species from nine genera were collected throughout the 30-wk study; An. gambiae s. l. comprised 32% and of the148 An. gambiae s. s. collected, 85% were of the S form. A greater percentage of An. gambiae s. l. were collected in ultraviolet traps baited with a synthetic lure and CO2 compared with any other trap configuration. The influence of trap configuration on conclusions from surveillance efforts, specifically with regards to An. gambiae is discussed.

The subfamily Cheloninae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from Egypt, with the description of two new species

Abstract A key to the chelonine species (Braconidae) (both recorded and recently collected) from Egypt is given. It includes 16 species, of which five species are new to the Egyptian fauna and two (Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) elbaiensis sp. n. and Phanerotoma (Bracotritoma) ponti sp. n.) are new for science. A faunistic list and the description for the two new species are added.

A preliminary account of the fly fauna in Jabal Shada al-A’la Nature Reserve, Saudi Arabia, with new records and biogeographical remarks (Diptera, Insecta)

Abstract The first list of insects of Al-Baha Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was published in 2013 and contained a total of 582 species; an addendum to this list was published in 2015 adding 142 species and bringing the total number recorded from the province to 724 insect species representing 17 orders. The previous two studies excluded Jabal Shada al-A’la Nature Reserve (SANR), so the present study in SANR, as belonging to Al-Baha Province, are complementary to the previous two. The present study presents a preliminary list of Diptera (Insecta) in SANR, with remarks on their zoogeography, and is the first of a series of planned ecological and systematic studies on different insect orders as one of the outputs of a project proposed to study the entire insect fauna of SANR. A total number of 119 Diptera species belonging to 87 genera, 31 tribes, 42 subfamilies, and representing 30 families has been recorded from SANR in the present study. Some species have been identified only to the genus level and listed herein only because this is the first time to record their genera in KSA. Fourteen of the species are recorded for the first time for KSA, namely: Forcipomyia sahariensis Kieffer, 1923 [Ceratopogonidae]; Chaetosciara sp. [Sciaridae]; Neolophonotus sp.1; Neolophonotus sp.2; Promachus sinaiticus Efflatoun, 1934; Saropogon longicornis (Macquart, 1838); Saropogon sp. [Asilidae]; Spogostylum tripunctatum (Pallas in Wiedemann, 1818) [Bombyliidae]; Phycus sp. [Therevidae]; Hemeromyia sp.; Meoneura palaestinensis Hennig, 1937 [Carnidae]; Desmometopa inaurata Lamb, 1914 [Milichiidae]; Stomoxys niger Macquart, 1851 [Muscidae]; and Sarcophaga palestinensis (Lehrer, 1998) [Sarcophagidae]. Zoogeographic affinities of recorded fly species suggest a closer affiliation to the Afrotropical region (46%) than to the Palearctic region (23.5%) or the Oriental region (2.5%). This supports the previous studies’ conclusions and emphasizes the fact that parts of the Arabian Peninsula, including Al-Baha Province, ought to be a part of the Afrotropical Region rather than of the Palaearctic Region or the Eremic Zone.

Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Abundance and Diversity at Nature Preserve Within Hyper-Arid Ecosystem of Arabian Peninsula

Abstract Coprophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) play an important ecological role in the management of grazing and cycling of nutrients within different ecosystems. Seasonal abundance, species richness, and alpha diversity of the dung beetles were investigated in Rawdhat Khorim Nature Preserve in the central Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Adult beetles were trapped using UV light traps biweekly from November 2011 to October 2012 (for a total of 24 nocturnal trap samples). A total of 2,982 dung beetles were caught, representing 22 species in nine genera belonging to the subfamilies of Aphodiinae and Scarabaeinae. The total catch was dominated (58%) by Aphodius pruinosus Reitter and Aphodius wollastoni iranicus Balthasar, with the Aphodiinae constituting 94% of the total beetle richness. Most of the dung beetle species were dwellers (20 species). Aphodius luridus (F.) and Granulopsammodius plicatulus (Fairmaire) are new records for KSA. Abundance, richness, and alpha diversity of dung beetles peaked during spring. Alpha diversity increased with higher average air temperatures. Dung beetle abundance was positively correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index. Two clusters of species phenology were apparent, a summer-active group and those not active during the summer months. Our findings may enhance the understanding of dung beetle ecology in the rawdhat network within hyper-arid ecosystems of Arabian Peninsula and sustainable management of dung beetles for nutrient reincorporation through the consumption and storage of dung in the soil.

A New Record of Cylindera (ifasina) rectangularis (Klug) (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Bordered by the Red Sea to the west, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Persian Gulf to the northeast, the Arabian Peninsula occupies 3,237,500 km ofmostly desert habitat. TheKingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies much of the Arabian Peninsula, comprising 1,969,000 km or 4/5 of that region (AbuZinada et al. 2001). The insect fauna of Saudi Arabia has affinities with three zoogeographical realms, the Palearctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental (Mattingly and Knight 1956; KirkSpriggs and Stuckenberg 2009; Al Ahmad et al. 2011). The majority of the fauna of Saudi Arabia reflects close affinities with the Palearctic Region, including the northwestern areas of Riyadh, Tabuk, Al Jawf, Hail, and Al Hudud Ash Shamaliyah. The more western and southwestern areas of Saudi Arabia, including Abha, Asir, Baha, Jizan, and Najran, lie within an extension of the Afrotropical Region. The most eastern areas, including Dammam, Hofuf, and Jubayl, lie within the Oriental Region. The harsh, dry desert environment and relatively bare southwestern mountains result in a limited amount of typical cicindeline habitat (Pearson and Vogler 2001). Saudi Arabia does not have any permanent streams; however, moister habitats do occur with numerous wadis or valley drainages, especially in the western portion of the country. These wadis may be seasonally wet or even flowing for parts of the year. Tiger beetles can often be common along these drainages, especially Calomera alboguttata alboguttata (Klug) and Myriochila (s. str.) melancholica (F.) during certain parts of the year. However, a relatively low number of tiger beetles have been recorded for such a large land mass. Pearson and Cassola (1992) listed nine species from Saudi Arabia, while Al Ahmadi and Salem (1999) listed only three species. Cassola and Schneider (1997) listed six species from the Saudi Arabian Gulf Coast, including five new country records for Saudi Arabia. Gillett (1995) gave detailed accounts for four species from the Al Ain/Buraimi region of eastern Saudi Arabia, Wranik et al. (1991) listed 10 species from Yemen, Cassola and Rihane (1996) listed 12 species from the Sultanate of Oman, and Wiesner (1996) mentioned seven species from the United Arab Emirates, including one new subspecies (Wiesner 1993). Howarth and Gillett (2009) documented a new record for Callytron monalisa (W. Horn) from Reem Island, United Arab Emirates, thus illustrating that future collecting may increase the presently known 19 species recorded for the Arabian Peninsula. During the course of surveying for insect biodiversity in the southwestern Asir Region of Saudi Arabia, one male of of Cylindera (Ifasina) rectangularis (Klug) was collected on 11 March 2011 at Wadi Qunouna (19°25.341′ N, 41°36.329 ′ E, 366 m elevation). On 12 March 2011, one male and three females and on 2 June 2012, 17 males and 27 females were collected at Al-Magardah, Wadi Yebah (19°16.271′ N, 41°48.464′ E, 411 m elevation). These collections represent a new country record for this species in Saudi Arabia. This small (7.1–9.0 mm) tiger beetle (Fig. 1) was

A review of the Subtribe Lebiina Bonelli (Lebiini, Carabidae, Coleoptera) from Southwest of Saudi Arabia

In this paper, descriptions, illustrations, distributional maps and a key for the subtribe Lebiina Bonelli, 1810 of Lebiini are presented for the two genera, Lebia Latreille, 1802 and Matabele, Peringuey, 1896 and six species from the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Lebia raeesae sp. n is described as a new species, L. melanacra (Chaudoir, 1878) and L. melanura (Dejean, 1831) are new records to the fauna of the country. Thus, the Saudi fauna of Lebiina based on this study has increased from three to six species.

A review of subtribe Cymindidina Laporte, 1834 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Lebiini) in Southwestern Saudi Arabia, with descriptions of two new species

The carabid subtribe Cymindidina Laporte, 1834 is reviewed for the southwestern Saudi Arabia. Five species belonging to two genera (Afrotarus Jeannel, 1949 and Cymindis Latreille, 1806) are studied, including two species described as new: A. fadli sp. n. from Baha Province and A. soudaensis sp. n. from Asir Province. A key to genera and species of Saudi Arabia is given.

An annotated checklist of the endemic Carabidae (Coleoptera) of Egypt

Endemic species are usually not very widespread in their distribution, but are only found in a particular region and nowhere else in the world. Because of this, they are of great conservation concern. A checklist of the endemic carabid beetles of Egypt was compiled and updated from published and unpublished records including long-term surveys. As far as can be ascertained, there are 39 valid carabid species and subspecies from 28 genera that are endemic to Egypt including Sinai. These represent about 16.3% of the total carabid fauna recorded from the country, and belong to five subfamilies: Brachininae, Cicindelinae, Harpalinae, Scaritinae, and Trechinae. I provide notes about type localities, depositories and distribution.