Vol 98, No 9 (2018)

New data on the distribution of 37 species are reported. Eleven species are new to Russia: Lithurgus tibialis Morawitz, 1875, Anthidium spiniventre Friese, 1899, Icteranthidium ferrugineum (Fabricius, 1787), Hoplitis carinata (Stanek, 1969), Coelioxys acanthura (Illiger, 1806), C. decipiens (Spinola, 1838), Megachile albonotata Radoszkowski, 1886, M. pyrenaica (Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1841), M. burdigalensis Benoist, 1940, M. flavipes Spinola, 1838, and M. tecta Radoszkowski, 1888. Twenty species are new to the North Caucasus, five species are new to the south of the European part of Russia, and one species, Megachile leucomalla Gerstäcker, 1869, is new to the North Caucasus and south of the European part of Russia; the latter species is also reported for the first time from Iran. Hoplitis ravouxi (Pérez, 1902) is excluded from the list of the Russian fauna. A nest of H. carinata is described for the first time.

A new species of the genus Microdaccus Schaum, 1864, M. bushehricussp. n., is described from Bidkhun in Bushehr Province, southern Iran.

A review of the subgenera Askocarpolus Kirejtshuk, 2008, Gaplocarpolus Kirejtshuk, 2008, Megacarpolus Reitter, 1919, and Semocarpolus Kirejtshuk, 2008 of the genus Carpophilus Stephens, 1829 is given including data on the formerly described and descriptions of new species from the Himalaya, North Indochina, and other Asian territories and neigboring insular systems: C. (Askocarpolus) bursiferussp. n., C. (A.) hartmannisp. n., C. (A.) longulussp. n., C. (A.) marsupiferussp. n., C. (A.) vicariussp. n., C. (Gaplocarpolus) lucidussp. n., C. (G.) transgressussp. n., C. (Megacarpolus) annaesp. n., and C. (Semocarpolus) adjunctussp. n. Keys to species of the mentioned subgenera are elaborated. Type series of the members of these subgenera were examined, and the lectotypes of Carpophilus cuneiformis Murray, 1864, C. marginellus Motschulsky, 1858, C. rubescens Murray, 1864, C. suturalis Lea, 1921 and C. variolosus Murray, 1864 are designated. Neotype of Carpophilus funereus Murray, 1864 is designated. The synonymy of Carpophilus marginellus Motschulsky, 1858 and C. suturalis Lea, 1921, syn. n. is established.

Ceutorhynchus balciunasisp. n., closely related to the Eastern Siberian and Far Eastern C. matisi Korotyaev, is described from Oregon and California. Ceutorhynchus fallisp. n. from Alaska (Nome) is related to these two species but differs from both in a set of morphological characters typical of the Arctic and alpine weevils and may be considered a truly Arctic form. Ceutorhynchus ? kolymensis Kor., a species very close to the mostly Western Palaearctic pair of species with characteristic coarse dorsal sculpture, C. puncticollis Boh. and C. talickyi Kor., is recorded from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado (U.S.A). Ceutorhyncuis barkalovi Kor., a circumpolar species previously known in North America only from Yukon (Canada) is also recorded from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado (U.S.A). New state records of Ceutorhynchus moznettei Fall and C. downiei Colonnelli are given.

A new genus, Vientiana gen. n. with the species V. patricki gen. et sp. n., is described from the central part of Laos. The new genus represents a separate lineage in the subfamily Anacampsinae. It is somewhat related to Battaristis Meyrick, as the male genitalia of the Far Eastern species B. majuscula M. Omelko et N. Omelko and V. patricki sp. n. have a similar plate-shaped juxta. The genus Semophylax Meyrick has hitherto comprised only two species: S. apicepuncta (Busck), known from the southern North America and northern South America, and S. verecunda (M. Omelko) (nomen correctum!), described from Vietnam by a single male. A new species, S. crassiuscula sp. n., is described from southern Laos and the previously unknown female of S. verecunda is documented and illustrated, based on material of both sexes collected in central Laos.

In the territory of the Central Caucasus, which constitutes one-fifth of that of the Greater Caucasus, the order of fleas is represented by 87 species, 67 of which are associated with mammals and 20 species, with birds. The regional fauna includes 6 species endemic to the Greater Caucasus and 3 species endemic to its central part. Fleas of 72 species are distributed along the entire longitudinal extent of the Central Caucasus; 18 species are associated with the highlands and 2 species are found only in the steppe foothills and forest-steppe midlands. The flea distribution is determined by the presence of suitable hosts and by some other factors. Rodents of the family Cricetidae are the main hosts of more than one third of all the mammal flea species in the region. Passeriform birds of the families Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, and Muscicapidae are the main hosts of the greatest part of bird flea species. The flea fauna of the Central Caucasus is highly similar in species composition to the faunas of the West and East Caucasus, largely due to the wide distribution of many host species throughout the Greater Caucasus.

Reproduction dynamics and phenotypic changes in the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) population during long-term infection, feeding of ixodid ticks, and at different temperatures were studied. The temperature significantly influenced the level of TBEV reproduction in ixodid ticks. However, more rapid and intensive TBEV reproduction was observed in feeding ticks as compared with infected ticks kept at elevated (32–37°C) and room temperatures. TBEV strains of the European and Siberian subtypes successfully replicated and formed long-term infection in ticks that are both primary (Ixodes ricinus, I. persulcatus) and secondary (Dermacentor reticulatus) virus vectors. The strain of the Siberian subtype reached its maximum titers in D. reticulatus, and the strain of the European subtype, in I. ricinus and D. reticulatus. Prolonged reproduction of the European and Siberian TBEV subtypes in both primary and secondary vectors increased heterogeneity of the virus population; however, virus variants retained high neuroinvasiveness characteristic of the virus adapted to mouse CNS cells. TBEV strains of different subtypes varied in the phenotypic population heterogeneity under different conditions. Unlike Absettarov (European subtype) strain, the population heterogeneity of EK-328 (Siberian subtype) strain by the plaque phenotype on PEK cell culture was significantly influenced by feeding of D. reticulatus ticks after long-term reproduction of the virus in them.