"The Black Files (Simuliidae) of North America" is an authoritative illustrated reference--with importance for ecology, genetics, and conservation--of the black flies in North America including 43 species identified here for the first time.

The majority of blackflies (family Simuliidae) are blood- suckers of man and domestic animals. Throughout the vast territory of the Soviet Union, in the steppes, forest steppes, and especially the taiga and tundra, blackflies occupy a prominent place among the blood-sucking Diptera. It is now clear, that not only in the tropics but throughout the Soviet Union, blackflies are transmitters of several diseases of domestic animals, mainly onchocerciasis of cattle and reindeer and many dangerous diseases of domestic fowl. Hence blackflies are of medico-veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological importance. Unlike other blood-sucking insects such as the malarial mosquito, blackflies have hitherto been relatively poorly studies. The purposes of the present volume is to provide a brief description of species and new identification keys. It primarily incorporates numerous additions to the first edition of Fauna of the USSR. This second edition also includes 18 species from countries adjoining the Palearctic region, which have not been recorded to-date in the Soviet Union, and 30 species described by Enderlein from Europe (whose description has been improved upon) which may be discovered later in the Soviet Union. The fauna of the USSR currently includes about 300 species of blackflies.

The majority of blackflies (family Simuliidae) are blood- suckers of man and domestic animals. Throughout the vast territory of the Soviet Union, in the steppes, forest steppes, and especially the taiga and tundra, blackflies occupy a prominent place among the blood-sucking Diptera. It is now clear, that not only in the tropics but throughout the Soviet Union, blackflies are transmitters of several diseases of domestic animals, mainly onchocerciasis of cattle and reindeer and many dangerous diseases of domestic fowl. Hence blackflies are of medico-veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological importance. Unlike other blood-sucking insects such as the malarial mosquito, blackflies have hitherto been relatively poorly studies. The purposes of the present volume is to provide a brief description of species and new identification keys. It primarily incorporates numerous additions to the first edition of "Fauna of the USSR," This second edition also includes 18 species from countries adjoining the Palearctic region, which have not been recorded to-date in the Soviet Union, and 30 species described by Enderlein from Europe (whose description has been improved upon) which may be discovered later in the Soviet Union. The fauna of the USSR currently includes about 300 species of blackflies.

This second volume on blackflies (Simuliidae) in the ABLA series concentrates on the 80 species present in Brazil. This modern morphological overview within the framework of the World Inventory of the Simuliidae forms the foundation for further morphological studies in the Neotropical region, prerequisite to cytological and molecular studies on the family. Comprehensive descriptions and taxonomic discussions are given for each species with digital images of main identification characters and generic, subgeneric and species identification keys in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Brief world and Neotropical overviews of the biology, medical importance and control of species are provided with full coverage for those found in Brazil. The book is addressed to taxonomists, immunologists, ecologists, veterinarians, physicians and biologists in general.

Surveys of pupae and larvae of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) were carried out in Thua Thien Hue Province of central Vietnam, and Lam Dong Province of southern Vietnam in 2014. A total of 26 species belonging to the genus Simuliumwere collected, consisting of eight known species, one newly recorded species, and 17 new species (of which three species of the subgenus Nevermannia were described in 2014). The remaining 14 new species (nine of the subgenus Gomphostilbia and five of the subgenus Simulium) are described here based on females, males, pupae and mature larvae. The total number of species of black flies in Vietnam is now 46. Keys to identify all 26 species recorded from the two provinces of Vietnam are given for females, males, pupae and mature larvae.

Surprising though it seems, the world faces almost as great a threat today from arthropod-borne diseases as it did in the heady days of the 1950s when global eradication of such diseases by eliminating their vectors with synthetic insecticides, particularly DDT, seemed a real possibility. Malaria, for example, still causes tremendous morbidity and mortality throughout the world, especially in Africa. Knowledge of the biology of insect and arachnid disease vectors is arguably more important now than it has ever been. Biological research directed at the development of better methods of control becomes even more important in the light of the partial failure of many control schemes that are based on insecticide- although not all is gloom, since basic biological studies have contributed enormously to the outstanding success of international control programmes such as the vast Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa. It is a sine qua non for proper understanding of the epidemiology and successful vector control of any human disease transmitted by an arthropod that all concerned with the problem - medical entomologist, parasitologist, field technician - have a good basic understanding of the arthropod's biology. Knowledge will be needed not only of its direct relationship to any parasite or pathogen that it transmits but also of its structure, its life history and its behaviour - in short, its natural history. Above all, it will be necessary to be sure that it is correctly identified.