Topoi

ZHANG Z.

This volume is part 3 of a series of surveys of mite lifespans and related life history data. The first part in 2021 covered the suborder Oribatida (excluding Astigmata), Winterschmidtiidae, Eriophyoidea, Tydeidae, Anystidae, Cheyletidae, and Blattisociidae (Zhang 2021). The second part (Zhang 2022) included reviews of life history data for three important families of economic importance: Tetranychidae (Li et al. 2022), Phytoseiidae (Han et al. 2022), and Laelapidae (Zhang et al. 2022). I am pleased to introduce Part 3 of this series, with three reviews for the superorder Parasitiformes: the order Ixodida, or the ticks (Chen et al. 2024), the family Parasitidae (Lewandowski & Pińkowska 2024), and the family Rhodacaridae (Momen et al. 2024). About 10% of the 960 tick species are of importance in animal and human health, and we have life history data reviewed for 12.2% of the species (Chen et al. 2024). It is noteworthy that the longest-living mite is a soft tick—Argas brumpti Neumann—which had survived for 27 years in the laboratory (Shepherd 2022).

MOMEN F., FAHIM S., LAMLOM M.

This review summarized the duration of pre-adult development, adult longevity, and lifespan of the predatory mites in the family Rhodacaridae based on literature published from 1986 to 2024. Information on the biology and growth parameters of few species of rhodacarids were found in a limited number of articles. Some factors affecting lifespan, fecundity and growth parameters of these mites were cited in the literature. Basically, these evaluated factors included different prey species and prey stages, and temperatures. All reported experiments were conducted in the laboratory, which may not reflect their real growth parameters in nature.

LEWANDOWSKI M., PIŃKOWSKA A.

Understanding the lifespan of organisms is fundamental to explaining their ecology, behaviour, and evolutionary dynamics. The present review provided a survey of the longevity and other life history data of the Parasitidae, a diverse family of mites known for their predatory and phoretic life strategies. This survey covered the influence of temperature and prey preferences as potential factors affecting lifespan variability within this taxonomic group. The findings reveal a wide longevity range, with developmental times ranging from 12 to over 60 days. Remarkably, the presence of phoretic deutonymphs complicates those estimations, with limited data on their maximal lifespan. Laboratory experiments suggest varied generation times, ranging from 8.5 to 10.2 days, yet often overlook the duration of deutonymph’s development and overwintering stage. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the Parasitidae and underscores the importance of future studies on their life-history dynamics.

CHEN Z., KHAIBOULLINA S.F., BARANWAL M., RIZVANOV A.A., LIU J.

Ticks are hematophagous parasites transmitting pathogens to animals and humans. This review summarizes the current understanding of their lifespan, life cycles and longevity, which is essential for preventing and controlling tick-borne diseases. As of October 2022, the lifespan, longevity, and life cycle of 117 tick species (approximately 12.2% of the world's total) from 10 genera have been recorded. Most of this data is collected in laboratory conditions, with only a few investigated in the field studies. The life cycles of 110 tick species are summarized in 150 publications, while the adult longevity of 62 species is reported in 65 publications. Data on tick lifespan is limited to 26 species documented in 18 publications. It should be noted that the lifespan of most argasid ticks is much longer (ranging from 114–861 days to 10585 days) compared to ixodid ticks (ranging from 55–114 days to 252ؘ–387 days). Also, environmental and climate changes can affect ticks' distribution and activity globally. Therefore, monitoring the lifespan, life cycles, and longevity of ticks in the field is particularly important for predicting the spread of ticks.

ZHANG Z.

(Cover)

ZHANG Z.

Table of Contents

DEWALT R.E.

It is with great sadness that I share with you the death of Dr. Boris Carl Kondratieff (30 April 1954 to 14 August 2022) (Fig. 1). Boris was a 35 year employee of Colorado State University (CSU). He served as Director of the C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, a collection of nearly 3.5 million specimens, most of which were amassed after his hire in 1986. He taught many courses at CSU and they were nearly always filled to capacity. Boris served as advisor for some 50 master’s and PhD students. He was highly sought after for graduate committees. His students conducted many high-quality research projects on the taxonomy, biogeography, and ecology of aquatic insects. In later years he collaborated with such luminaries of aquatic ecology as N. LeRoy Poff and James V. Ward, both of CSU.

DEWALT R.E., BURIAN S.K.

Proceedings of the 2022 XVI International Conference On Ephemeroptera and XX International Symposium On Plecoptera (Cover)

BOONSOONG B.

Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) are one of the most common components of aquatic assemblages in freshwater environments and contribute to ecosystem services. Mayflies have been widely used as indicators of water quality and frequently play an important role in biomonitoring protocols. Mayflies exhibit a decrease in taxa richness with increases in stream or river pollution and degradation. A series of taxonomic studies on Thai mayflies reported 19 families, 73 genera, and approximately 176 species. The families Baetidae and Heptageniidae are the most diverse and widespread groups of Thai mayflies. Our understanding of the diversity of Thai mayflies has steadily increased in recent years. New genera are being described: Cymbalcloeon Suttinun, Gattolliat & Boonsoong, 2020; Elatosara Malzacher, 2020; Megabranchiella Phlai-ngam & Tungpairojwong, 2022; Mekongellina Malzacher, 2019; Sangpradubina Boonsoong & Sartori, 2016; and Thainis Malzacher, 2020. New species and new country records are constantly being discovered in Thailand. Nevertheless, the number of genera and species seems to be lower than the species diversity estimation, and several genera and species remain undescribed. Research on the systematics and ecology of mayflies has been increasing in recent years. DNA barcoding can provide a powerful supplement to the traditional morphological approach to species delimitation. The book entitled “Mayfly Larvae in Thailand” (Thai version) and the boardgame “Thai Mayflies” were developed for environmental science communication. Further efforts are required to assess the conservation status of mayfly species. Thus, data on mayfly diversity and ecological requirements could be used as tools to evaluate environmental impacts on water resources and to drive future research on biodiversity conservation management strategies.

HOGAN P.N., DEWALT R.E.

Regional faunal assessments of stoneflies in the United States Midwest (herein defined as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) indicate increasing imperilment resulting from human disturbance and climate change. Large-bodied perlid stoneflies with multivoltine life cycles are among the most at risk for regional extirpation, with losses reported in several midwestern states. Species distribution modeling was undertaken to describe distribution shifts for four widespread riverine species: Acroneuria abnormis (Newman, 1838), A. frisoni Stark & Brown, 1991, A. internata (Walker, 1852) and A. lycorias (Newman, 1839). The distribution modeling algorithm MaxEnt was selected to predict both the historical (i.e., pre-1960) and contemporaneous distributions for each species using separate occurrence datasets. These models permit the identification of suitable habitat loss through range contractions associated with human disturbance. Predictions of suitable habitat losses were recorded for multiple species but were greatest for A. abnormis and A. internata. These models serve to guide future collection efforts and to further describe patterns of regional biodiversity loss.

GRUBBS S.A., DEWALT R.E., HART L.V., LAYER M.R.

The Louisiana Needlefly, Leuctra szczytkoi Stark & Stewart, 1981, was one of 404 species petitioned in 2010 by the Center for Biological Diversity for inclusion and protection under the United States Endangered Species Act. There were only four known locality records in northern and central Louisiana before the start of this project, all collected between 1973 and 1997. Prior published research, however, provided tangible evidence that L. paleo Poulton & Stewart, 1991 could be a junior synonym of L. szczytkoi. The type localities of these two species (L. paleo—southern Arkansas; L. szczytkoi—northern Louisiana) are only separated by approximately 120 km. The primary objective of this study was to use mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 gene sequences to assess the taxonomic validity of L. paleo using tree- and genetic distance-based phylogenetic analyses. Results of all analyses provide consistent and strong evidence that L. paleo is a junior synonym of L. szczytkoi. Hence, L. szczytkoi has nomenclatural priority with an expanded known distribution now from southern Arkansas southward to central Louisiana and southwestward to east Texas with 20 unique locations. Additional notes on other members of the L. ferruginea (Walker, 1852) group are provided.

SIVARAMAKRISHNAN K.G., SELVAKUMAR C., VASANTH M., SUBRAMANIAN K.A.

Species assemblage patterns of the mayflies (Ephemeroptera) in different segments of the Western Ghats (WG) of peninsular India including those on “sky islands” are presented. An updated checklist of species of WG mayflies is provided and sorted by traits of individual species and supplemented by personal observations. Comparisons are made in this context with patterns of current distribution of some ancient lineages of myriapods, amphibians and birds from the WG focusing on relative roles of geographical barriers (gaps), paleoclimatic, eco-evolutionary scenarios and anthropogenic impacts. This is to highlight the need to prioritize conservation of this rapidly shrinking precious biological heritage. Future work on molecular aspects of intra- and interspecific diversity of mayflies, which are “sentinels of inland water ecosystem health” should be augmented in tune with current research trends in montane “sky islands” especially from adjacent Oriental tropics.

BURIAN S.K.

Acentrella nadineae McCafferty, Waltz, & Webb, 2009 is broadly distributed in cool, clean, swift rocky streams across parts of the southeast, northeast, and midwestern United States, but currently its adult stages are unknown. The difficulty associated with successfully rearing nymphs of Acentrella species is mostly responsible for our lack of knowledge of adult life stages. New field observations of A. nadineae nymphs from the Hubbard River, Massachusetts, USA were used to modify an already successful rearing system for baetid nymphs to obtain a reared series of male and female imagos for study. Both life stages were photographed alive and are described herein for the first time. In addition, details of the modified rearing system and notes on the unusual madicolous behavior of near final instar nymphs are presented.

SANDBERG J.B.

One new drumming call signal description and two updated call descriptions of three Soliperla Ricker, 1952 species in the stonefly family Peltoperlidae are presented. It was determined after recording and analysis that these signals differed from the previous descriptions, warranting a revision. Percussive signal interval patterns for the three species are described for the first time. The previous monophasic call signal pattern descriptions of Soliperla quadrispinula (Jewett, 1954) and S. thyra (Needham & Smith, 1916) are updated to the repeated monophasic pattern. The male call and response of S. sierra Stark, 1983 and the response signal of S. quadrispinula are described for the first time. The call descriptions of the three California species consist of one to six monophasic signals with inconsistent inter-call intervals. Sequenced monophasic female answers did not follow all repeated male calls. Male monophasic responses occasionally followed female answers in sequenced 3-way exchanges.

VASANTH M., SUBRAMANIAN K.A., SELVAKUMAR C., KUBENDRAN T.

A concise overview of the diversity and distribution of Ephemeroptera of Indian Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot, is presented. The current study summarizes the diversity and distribution of Ephemeroptera of the seven Himalayan states of India: Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Utter Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. This study documents 10 families, 34 genera, 89 species. A total of 57 species are considered endemic to the region. The richest diversity is reported from the states of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh and the maximum diversity is seen within three families and three genera. Updated information on Ephemeroptera of the Himalaya parts of Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and China is required to comprehensively understand the diversity and endemicity of the hotspot. Further, to advance our knowledge of Ephemeroptera of the region, a synthesis of the taxonomy of adults and larvae with description of all life history stages within a molecular phylogenetic framework is urgently required.