Jenő Kontschán

Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Researches, ELKH

In Eurasia, the geographically most widespread ixodid tick species of the bat families Rhinolophidae Gray, Vespertilionidae Gray, and Miniopteridae Dobson were considered to belong to four species, Ixodes vespertilionis Koch, I. collaris Hornok, I. ariadnae Hornok, and I. simplex Neumann. Previous data attest that bat-associated tick species from E...

The genus Micherdzinskiiobovella Hirschmann, 1989 (Mesostigmata: Uropodina: Uropodi nychidae) is resurrected for species of the Uroobovella micherdzinskiigroup. This genus dif fers from the other taxa of the Uroobovella sensu lato based on the shape of body, the first gnathosomal setae, the peritreme and the number of the ventral setae. All species...

This study is based on oribatid mite materials collected from the vicinities of Phatthaya city and the Samet Island in Thailand; 18 species from 14 genera and 11 families are registered, of these, nine species are recorded from the Thai fauna for the first time. A new species of the ge-nus Dolicheremaeus (Otocepheidae)-D. phatthayaensis sp. n.-is d...

The global epidemiological significance of bats and their blood-sucking ectoparasites is increasingly recognized. However, relevant data are scarce from Pakistan where the Palearctic and Oriental zoogeographic regions meet. In this study, 200 bats belonging to five species were examined for the presence of ectoparasites in Pakistan. Bat flies were...

Twelve species, 10 genera and five families of Oripodoidea (Oribatida) are registered from leaf litter in secondary semi-evergreen forest in Quintana Roo, Mexico; of them, five species (Nasobates spinosus, Mucrobates fissuratus, Scheloribates milleri, S. (Perscheloribates) minusculus, Protoribates paracapucinus) are recorded for the first time in t...

The present study is based on oribatid mite materials collected from leaf litter in two forest locations in Cuba. A list of 64 species, belonging to 47 genera and 31 families, is presented. Of these, one genus and two species are recorded for the first time from the Neotropical region; 17 species, one subgenus, six genera, and two families are reco...

All known trachyuropodid mites (Acari: Uropodina: Trachyuropodidae) are listed together with diagnoses of the family Trachyuropodidae and trachyuropodid genera. A new illustrated key to trachyuropodid genera is also presented. The second species of the genus Trachyibana ( T. kozari sp. nov.) is described and illustrated from Singapore. Forty eight...

Among vector-borne protozoa Hepatozoon felis and Cytauxzoon europaeus are considered emerging species in felids in Europe. To investigate the presence of these two protozoa 127 domestic cats and 4 wildcats were screened by PCRs targeting the 18S rRNA gene of Hepatozoon spp. and piroplasms, as well as the cytb gene of Cytauxzoon spp. The samples wer...

The present study is based on galumnid mites (Oribatida, Galumnidae) collected from leaf litter of two mixed forests in Cuba; six species from three genera are identified. Three new species-Pergalumna (Pergalumna) cienfuegosensis sp. nov., P. (P.) foveolatostriata sp. nov. and Galumna (G.) gigantea sp. nov.-are described. Allogalumna brevisetosa (B...

Background The subgenus Pholeoixodes contains Ixodes species typically associated with birds that nest in cavities or with carnivorous mammals that are burrow-dwelling. Among ticks infesting the latter, Ixodes rugicollis is regarded as the rarest species in the western Palearctic. Despite the unique morphology of this species, its identification (e...

Acarologia is proudly non-profit, with no page charges and free open access Acarologia A quarterly journal of acarology, since 1959 Publishing on all aspects of the Acari All information: http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/acarologia/ acarologia-contact@supagro.fr Acarologia is under free license and distributed under the terms of the Creative Co...

To obtain new data on the species diversity, host associations and spatiotemporal occurrence of flies and blood-sucking lice of veterinary importance in Malta, ectoparasites were collected at cattle, sheep and goat, pig farms, as well as dog shelters, and in two places in the absence of domestic animals. The species were identified morphologically,...

Invasive stink bug species, such as Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), are serious agricultural pests worldwide. During autumn dispersal, adults aggregate in large numbers in human-made structures, homes and on walls of buildings. Preferred overwintering sites are sun-warmed, well-protected shelters. Exploiting a...

Trichomonas gallinae is a geographically widespread protozoan parasite of birds. In this study, oropharyngeal swab samples were collected in Hungary and Romania from 99 columbiform birds, including 76 feral pigeons ( Columba livia domestica : 42 kept for racing, 32 with urban and two with rural habitat), four common wood pigeons ( C. palumbus ), 16...

Date-locality-host records for 37 mite species of 15 families are presented for Hungary and Austria. These results include the first record of eight species for Hungary, viz. Charletonia krendowskyi (Feider, 1954), Marantelophus rudaensis (Haitlinger, 1986), Cunaxa gazella (Berlese, 1916), Eupalopsellus oelandicus Sellnick, 1949, Tydeus lindquisti...

Research on fig leaf insects in Hungary: Choretutis nemorana, Blastophaga psenes, Homotoma ficus. New data, new observations.

This study was initiated to assess the seasonality and to investigate the morphology of questing ixodid ticks in an urban habitat in Central Europe, Hungary. A neglected part of a large cemetery, with sparse tree covering and dense lower vegetation, was sampled monthly from February 2019 to May 2021. All ticks were analyzed morphologically, and sel...

The first author observed Homotoma ficus (Linnaeus, 1758) larvae on several street and garden fig trees in the city of Pécs in southern Hungary at the end of May 2022. In the first week of June 2022, imagoes were already flying. This is the first observation of this species in Hungary, together with the first report of the family Homotomidae. A dia...

Reptiles are frequently kept as pet animals. They are considered as important reservoirs of protozoa with veterinary-medical significance. At a reptile farm in Ireland, fecal samples were collected from 98 captive reptiles, representing 43 species of three orders (Squamata, Testudines, and Crocodylia). After DNA extraction, all samples were screene...

Kontschán J, Ágoston J. Rejtőzködő idegenhonos károsító a jukkatripsz. Kertészet és Szőlészet. 2022 Sep 28;71(39):23. Hazai kertekben, parkokban, sőt még a nagyvárosi járdaszigeteken is gyakran láthatunk virágzásukkor nagyon látványos pálmaliliomokat. Ez az észak-amerikai szívós dísznövény sem mentes a károsítóktól, a tőlevélrózsájában a levelek t...

New occurrences of thirteen jumping plant lice (Insecta: Psylloidea) are presented from Hungary. Two species [Cacopsylla pulchella (Löw, 1877) and Livilla variegata (Löw, 1881] from the listed ones are alien species introduced to Hungary. Two new occurrences of the newly discovered pear-pest jumping plant louse, Cacopsylla bidens (Šulc, 1907) are a...

A new mite genus, Schwendingeriella gen. nov. (Mesostigmata: Uropodina: Urodinychidae), with Schwendingeriella tapanensis sp. nov. as type species, is described on the basis of 12 females and nine males collected in soil samples from Thailand. The new genus has a unique character combination which has not been previously observed within the family...

Two new species of oribatid mites of the family Scheloribatidae – Urubambates jakobi sp. nov. and Pachygena annae sp. nov. – are described, based on adults collected from upper soil and leaf litter in primary mountain forests in the Andes, Central Peru. Pachygena makarovae is supposedly a member of the genus Perscheloribates. http://www.zoobank.org...

The family Carabodidae (Oribatida) is recorded in Malawi for the first time. A new species of the subgenus Carabodes (Klapperiches) is described from sifted litter in a highland forest of Central Malawi. Carabodes (Klapperiches) dedzaensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from the related species C. (K.) coronatus Mahunka, 1986 by the larger body size...

European beaver (Castor fiber L. 1758) is the biggest rodent species living in Europe. Beavers are semi-aquatic animals; they are defecating directly into the water; thus, they have an important role in spreading parasites related to water (e.g., protozoa and flukes). The first specimens of this once extinct rodent species in Hungary turned up in S...

The Maltese Archipelago is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Basin, between Europe and Africa, therefore representing an important stopover site for migratory birds between these two continents. Despite of this, up-to-date information is not available on tick species associated with birds in Malta. Therefore, in this study, birds mist-net...

Ecdysteroids are steroid hormones involved in moulting and development of arthropods. Blood samples of 32 individual bats of eight insectivorous species were analysed for the presence of ecdysteroids, using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Nine ecdysteroids were detected. The spectrum of these ecdysteroids was similar in bat species whi...

During the investigation of the terrariums of snake pets, two species are reported for the first time from Hungary. Females of Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais, 1844) were collected from the body of a Boa sp. (Reptilia:Boidae), and females of Hirstionyssus butantanensis (Fonseca, 1932) were found on body of the new-born mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus) (R...

Rotundabaloghia (Circobaloghia) burckhardti sp. nov. is described based on two female, three male, and four deutonymph specimens collected from soil in Province Chepo, Panama. The new species differs from the other species of the subgenus Circobaloghia in the shape and length of the ventral and sternal setae. http://www.Zoobank.org/urn:Isid:zoobank...

A new mite species Sejus sejiformis (Balogh, 1938) from Hungary was collected in the soil of a tree hole of a chestnut tree in Leányfalu. This is the second species of this family in Hungary. Short descriptions and new illustrations are given together with notes about the role of the tree-injection plant protection method on the community this very...

Background Among live wild mammals adapted to urban and peri-urban habitats in Europe, members of the families Felidae, Mustelidae and Sciuridae deserve special attention as pathogen reservoirs because all of these families include members that are kept as pets. We report here the results of our study on two important groups of tick-borne protozoan...

Two new species of oribatid mites of the genus Leptotocepheus (Oribatida, Otocepheidae) are described from Malawi. Leptotocepheus malawiensis sp. nov. differs from the related species L. macromucronatus by the well developed, spindle-form bothridial seta with distinctly elongate, pointed tip distally (versus slightly developed, fusiform, without el...

Wild boars show increasing numbers and population densities throughout Europe, including Hungary. While their presence is appreciated as game animals, they are also responsible for significant agricultural damage, habitat degradation and water quality issues. In addition, wild boars may harbor ticks and can act as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens...

ASBTRACT: Rotundabaloghia (Circobaloghia) chilensis sp. nov. is described based on one female specimen collected from soil in Osorno Coastal Range, Chile. The new species differs from the other species from the subgenus Circobaloghia in the shape of peritremes, the shape and length of the ventral and dorsal setae. This is the first record of this f...

A new Ivoria species ( Ivoria alourouai sp. nov. ) is described from Ivory Coast based on five females. The new species differs from the previously described congener ( Ivoria taienesis Kontschán, 2019) based on the shape of female genital shield, dorsal setae, centro-caudal part of the marginal shield and peritremes.

The seventh species of Arculatatrachys, A. pomberoi sp. nov. is described based on female and male specimens collected from leaf litter in Paraguay. The new species differs from congeners by the shape of the dorsal cavities and their appendages. A list and a new key to the known Arculatatrachys species are also presented with four new combinations...

All species of hard ticks associated with reptiles as hosts throughout their life cycle, are currently assigned to genera including Amblyomma and Africaniella. Among these species, based on literature data, Africaniella transversale has never been investigated for the presence of tick-borne pathogens. In this study, seven DNA extracts (two from A....

The current status of tick species, important tick-borne bacteria and protozoan parasites is well-documented in Switzerland. However, reports on the genetic diversity and geographical relationships of tick species in this country appear to be in part lacking or outdated. Thus, the aim of this study was to collect ticks from various host species in...

A new species of Lasiobelba from Nepal, with overview of the genus (Acari, Oribatida, Oppiidae).

There have been occasionally Mediterranean fruit fly occurrences in Hungary since 1928, but stable populations were not founded till today. After ten years, new data of the Mediterranean fruit fly is reported from Hungary in this paper.

Fifteen new occurrences of ragweed leaf beetle ( Ophraella communa LeSage, 1986) are presented from Hungary based on targeted faunistic investigations and the results of our call for citizen scientists. All records are concentrated on the nearby regions of Budapest, suggesting that the species was introduced to this northern central region of the c...

A new bark beetle associated Uropodina species is reported from Hungary for the first time. The Trichouropoda vitzthumilongisetae Hirschmann et Wiśniewski, 1987 (Trematuridae) was known till today only from Austria, Germany, Belgium, and Poland. This species is easy to recognize based on the two pairs of long caudal setae from the congeners. A shor...

The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) and southern green stink bug (Nezara viridula) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are invasive species in Europe. They move into overwintering sites (tree bark, buildings) in the temperate latitudes in the autumn, which is induced by the change of photoperiod in the autumn. The aim of this study is to exami...

A new genus Mengzongella gen. nov. is described to accommodate a new species M. tertia sp. nov. based on two males collected in Guangxi, China, from the leaf litter of a giant bamboo thicket (Bambusa chungii syn. Lingnania chungii). The new genus belongs to the family Urodinychidae based on the shape of the gnathosomal setae h1, shape of the chelic...

The family Cimicidae includes obligate hematophagous ectoparasites (bed bugs and their relatives) with high veterinary/medical importance. The evolutionary relationships of Cimicidae and their hosts have recently been reported in a phylogenetic context, but in the relevant study, one of the six subfamilies, the bat-specific Latrocimicinae, was not...

Babesia gibsoni is considered as an emerging protozoan parasite of dogs in North America and Europe. However, no data have been published on its prevalence, molecular-phylogenetic characteristics and associated co-infections in dogs used for illegal fighting (i.e. predisposed to acquiring this piroplasm via biting) in Europe. In this study, blood s...

New occurrences of fourteen jumping plant lice (Insecta: Psylloidea) are presented from neglected or scarcely investigated regions of Hungary. Three species [Acizzia jamatonica (Kuwayama, 1908), Cacopsylla pulchella (Löw, 1877), and Livilla variegata (Löw, 1881] from the listed ones are alien, non-indigenous species in Hungary. This study contains...

In the framework of a survey of arthropods in rest stops of Hungarian highways, 19 species of jumping plant lice were collected. Three species belong to the family Aphalaridae, one to Calophyidae, two to Liviidae, nine to Psyllidae and four to Triozidae. Two species ( Livilla variegata and Trioza neglecta ) are alien, non-indigenous species; the ot...

Three eriophyoid species are recorded for the first time in Hungary, viz. Paraepitrimerus erigeronsis Xue et Hong collected from Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. (Asteraceae), Phyllocoptes parvulus (Nalepa) from Potentilla reptans L. (Rosaceae) and Aceria salicina (Nalepa) from Salix alba L. (Salicaceae). In addition, supplementary description of the vag...

Background Birds are major hosts for many tick species (Acari: Ixodidae, Argasidae), and their role is especially important in transporting ticks over large distances along their seasonal migratory routes. Accordingly, most studies across Europe focus on the importance of avian hosts in tick dispersal, and less emphasis is laid on resident birds an...

A new species of Metagynella, M. pangooli sp. nov. is described based on female and male specimens collected from decaying baobab trees (Adansonia digitata) in Senegal. The new species differs from congeners by the sculptural pattern of the dorsal shield and the shape of the sternal shield. A list and a new key to the known Metagynella species are...

In this study, faecal samples of four American Staffordshire terrier dogs (used for illegal fighting) were analysed by DNA extraction, molecular-phylogenetic and parasitological methods, in order to examine the occurrence of protozoan, apicomplexan parasites. In one sample, the DNA of Sarcocystis morae was shown to be present. This species was iden...

Leonardiella pappi sp. nov. is described based on six females and two males collected from soil under Machilus sp., in Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve, in Hong Kong. The new species differs from the other species from the congeners in the shape of dorsal and ventral setae and dorsal and ventral sculptural pattern. A new diagnosis to the genus Leonardiell...

Bats have deserved much scientific attention due to their biological-ecological properties and increasingly recognized epidemiological significance. Ecdysteroids are insect-molting hormones that (under experimental conditions) have stimulating and anabolic effects in mammals, including humans. Therefore, these biologically active compounds are curr...

Two new species of eriophyoid mites were discovered in Hungary, viz. Aculodes caespiticolus sp. nov. collected from Sesleria sadleriana Janka (Poaceae) and Aceria cumaniamajoris sp. nov. found on Polygonum aviculare L. (Polygonaceae). Detailed morphological description of female, male and nymph is given. A key to Aculodes spp. already known from Hu...

A new vagrant species of phyllocoptine mites, Leipothrix nagyi n. sp . collected from Zinnia elegans (Asteraceae) is described and illustrated from Hungary. Further three eriophyoid species were recorded for the first time in Hungary, viz. Aceria hippophaena (Nalepa, 1898) found on Hippophaë rhamnoides, Epitrimerus cupressi (Keifer, 1939) collected...

The oribatid mite genus Mucrobates (Oribatida, Scheloribatidae) is revised, based on type species (Mucrobates fissuratus) and one new species (Mucrobates cayoaguaensis sp. nov.) which is described from leaf litter in Panama. The new species differs from the type species by the smaller body size, the presence of triangular carina at the lateral marg...

Background Among Dermanyssoidea, the chicken red mite ( Dermanyssus gallinae ) and the northern fowl mite ( Ornithonyssus sylviarum ) are considered to be the cause of high economic losses endured by the poultry industry in the Holarctic region, with O. sylviarum predominating in North America and D. gallinae in Europe. Both species have a short li...

Three Palearctic members of the subgenus Pholeoixodes, i.e., Ixodes canisuga, Ixodes hexagonus and Ixodes kaiseri are frequently collected from dogs, cats, red foxes, badgers and other carnivorous/insectivorous hosts in Europe. While a pictorial identification key has been reported for female Pholeoixodes ticks, a similar work has not been done on...

Rotundabaloghia (Rotundabaloghia) dogani sp. nov. is described based on three females and one male collected from soil in Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve, in Hong Kong. The new species differs from the other species from the subgenus Rotundabaloghia in the shape and length of the ventral setae.

Malaria is responsible for major diseases of humans, while associated haemosporidians are important factors in regulating wildlife populations. Polychromophilus, a haemosporidian parasite of bats, is phylogenetically close to human-pathogenic Plasmodium species, and their study may provide further clues for understanding the evolutionary relationsh...

A new species ( Rotundabaloghia ( Circobaloghia ) nagyi sp. nov.) of the rotundabaloghid mites is described based on females and male collected in bamboo leaf litter in Cameroon. The new species differs from the other Afrotropical rotundabaloghid mites in following character combination: female genital shield with long apical process, the setae v7...

Five specimens of broom psyllid [(Arytaina genistae (Latreille, 1804)] were collected from Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) during a survey of the jumping plant lice in Hungary. The specimens were found at Nagykovácsi, June 2020. This is the first record of this species in Hungary.

Two new Bloszykiella species are discovered and described from the Afrotropical realm. Bloszykiella rammsteini sp. nov. (from Zimbabwe) differs from its congeners in the sculptural pattern of the dorsal shield, the strongly sclerotized U-shaped grooves on the dorsal shield and pilose dorsal setae. Bloszykiella lindemanni sp. nov. (from Rwanda) diff...

A new species Rotundabaloghia (Circobaloghia) olszanowskii sp. nov. is described based on females and males from Ivory Coast. The new species differs from the other Afrotropical rotundabaloghid mites in following character combination: the setae v7 and v8 smooth and wider than other ventral setae, female genital and ventral shields are ornamented b...

Five unusual egg-clusters with numerous larvae of an unidentified species of sarcoptid mite (Notoedres sp.) were observed on the wings of the cave-roosting, Southeast Asian bat, Chaerephon plicatus. An egg-cluster contained more than 250 eggs and all eggs joined to each other with a long pedicel. The larvae of this unidentified sarcoptid mite are u...

The pine pest, Cenopalpus lineola (Canestrini and Fanzago, 1876) was discovered after 45 years again in Hungary. Proto-, deutonymphs, male and female specimens were collected, therefore a new and detailed re-description are presented with description of the leg chaetotaxy of the immature stages.

Aceria bambusae ChannaBasavanna, 1966 is reported from Hungary for the first time. The species was collected from the leaf sheaths of the introduced bamboo species, Phyllostachys rubromarginata McClure and Phyllostachys tianmuensis Z.P. Wang et N.X. Ma (both Poaceae) in Hungary. Morphological differences distinguishing this species from other bambu...