Ecological Status of Phlebotomine Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Rural Communities of Northeastern Algeria

Background: Algeria is among the most affected Mediterranean countries by leishmaniasis due to its large geo­graphic extent and climatic diversity. The current study aimed to determine the ecological status (composition and diversity) of phlebotomine sandfly populations in the region of Oum El Bouaghi (Northeast Algeria). Methods: An entomological survey was conducted during the period May–October 2010 in rural communities of Oum El Bouaghi. Catches of sandflies were carried out using sticky traps in both domestic and peri-domestic envi­ronments of 16 sites located beneath two bioclimatic areas, sub-humid and semi-arid. Most of these sites have vis­ceral and/or cutaneous leishmaniasis cases. Results: A total of 1,363 sandflies were captured and identified. They belong to two genera, Phlebotomus and Ser­gen­tomyia, and five species. The species Phlebotomus perniciosus, P. perfiliewi and Sergentomyia minuta were con­stants. Phlebotomus longicuspis was common and P. papatasi was accidental in the study sites. P. perniciosus and P. perfiliewi are the two possible species that contribute in leishmaniasis transmission across the study area due to their high densities (96 and 49 specimens/m²/night, respectively); these two species dominate other species in all study sites. Conclusion: Findings emphasize the key-role played by P. perniciosus, P. perfiliewi and S. minuta in outlining site similarities based on sandfly densities. The study confirms that the more susceptible sites to leishmaniasis, which hold high densities of these sandflies, were located south of the study area under a semi-arid climate.

Groundwater Quality in Two Semi-Arid Areas of Algeria: Impact of Water Pollution on Biodiversity

The biodiversity and quality of subterranean waters were comparatively studied in the Tarf plain near Oum-El-Bouaghi and in the Ksar S’bahi in Oum-El-Bouaghi, in North-eastern Algeria. For this purpose, physicochemical and faunistic analyses were carried out on the water of ten stations located in the area of Tarf, and thirteen in the area of S’bahi. In the wells of Tarf, the average stygobiologic diversity was relatively high in the wells located upstream the dumping site from the city where the groundwater presented low contents of nitrates and orthophosphates. In contrast, the wells located in the spreading zone of Tarf wastewaters were characterized by the scarcity or the absence of stygobic species; in these latter wells, the water was highly polluted. It was rich in nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, and the conductivity was rather high. In the area of S’bahi, the faunistic inventory recorded ten species, some of which were living in hot springs. The subterranean water was highly mineralized. In the two studied areas, biodiversity decreased when well water was locally polluted

Impact of Anthropic Pressure on the Quality and Diversity of Groundwater in the Region of Sighus Oum-El-Bouaghi and El Rahmounia, Algeria.

Groundwater of Oum-El-Bouaghi and its surroundings hosts a variety of microflora and fauna. This study investigated the relationship between the effect of human activity and the biodiversity and distribution of aquatic fauna in two semi-arid regions Sighus region (Oum-El-Bouaghi) and El Rahmouni (Constantine) in north-eastern Algeria. Fourteen wells and six springs were studied in two hydrographic basins, that of Constantine and Seybouse Melegue. Significant differences were revealed between the wells and springs in the two watersheds, making it possible to distinguish four groups of wells and two groups of springs. The overall faunal richness of the stations appeared to be weakly correlated with water quality, but on the other hand, the specific richness of the stygoby fauna, and even more so the abundance of stygoby species, decreased when water quality deteriorated

Polycelis felina

Polycelis felina (Dalyell, 1814) Material examined ZMA V. Pl. 6912.1, Ain Soltane spring, Imouzer-Kandar, Fes city, Morocco, 28 December 2009, coll. A. H. Harrath & K. Abdessalem, sagittal sections on 12 slides; V. Pl. 6912.2, ibid., horizontal sections on 18 slides; V. Pl. 6912.3, ibid., sagittal sections on 16 slides; V. Pl. 6912.4, ibid., sagittal sections on 18 slides; V. Pl. 6912.5, ibid., horizontal sections on 9 slides ZMA V. Pl. 6913.1, Ghazi spring, Aggar river, Safrou, Fes city, Morocco, 27 December 2009, coll. A. H. Harrath & K. Abdessalem, sagittal sections on 15 slides; V. Pl. 6913.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 8 slides; V. Pl. 6913.3, ibid., horizontal sections on 10 slides; V. Pl. 6913.4, ibid., sagittal sections on 10 slides. ZMA V.Pl. 6914.1, Taddirt, Toubkal- Marrakech, sagittal sections on 10 slides; V.Pl. 6914.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 9 slides; V.Pl. 6914.3, ibid., horizontal sections on 7 slides.Published as part of Harrath, Abdul Halim, Sluys, Ronald, Merzoug, Djemoi, Khebiza, Mohamed Yacoubi-, Alwasel, Saleh & Riutort, Marta, 2012, Freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from the Palearctic section of the African continent: new records, with the description of a new species, pp. 1-15 in Zootaxa 3182 (1) on pages 12-13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3182.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/524794

Dugesia sicula Lepori 1948

Dugesia sicula Lepori, 1948 Material examined ZMA V. Pl. 6907.1, Ain Mastour spring, Ousletia, Tunisia, (35° 52’ 22.40’’N 9° 37’36.41’’W) March 2009, coll. A. H. Harrath, sagittal sections on 11 slides; V. Pl. 6907.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 13 slides; V. Pl. 6907.3, horizontal sections on 10 slides. ZMA V.Pl. 6908.1, Oued Dhimine, Oum El Bouaghi, Algeria (36°01' 09.89" N 7°14' 38.75" W), coll. D. Merzoug, sagittal sections on 10 slides, V.Pl. 6908.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 8 slides.Published as part of Harrath, Abdul Halim, Sluys, Ronald, Merzoug, Djemoi, Khebiza, Mohamed Yacoubi-, Alwasel, Saleh & Riutort, Marta, 2012, Freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from the Palearctic section of the African continent: new records, with the description of a new species, pp. 1-15 in Zootaxa 3182 (1) on page 6, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3182.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/524794

Schmidtea polychroa

Schmidtea polychroa (Schmidt, 1861) Material examined ZMA V. Pl. 6910.1, Arrafraf spring, Oum El Bouaghi city, Algeria, 05 February 2010, coll. A. H. Harrath, Djemoi Merzoug, sagittal sections on 21 slides; V. Pl. 6910.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 15 slides; V. Pl. 6910.3, ibid., horizontal sections on 8 slides; V. Pl. 6910.4, ibid., horizontal sections on 12 slides. ZMA V.Pl. 6911.1, Ain El Ajmi spring, Dahmani town, Tunisia, sagittal sections on 15 slides; V.Pl. 6911.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 14 slides; V.Pl. 6911.3, ibid., horizontal sections on 8 slides.Published as part of Harrath, Abdul Halim, Sluys, Ronald, Merzoug, Djemoi, Khebiza, Mohamed Yacoubi-, Alwasel, Saleh & Riutort, Marta, 2012, Freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from the Palearctic section of the African continent: new records, with the description of a new species, pp. 1-15 in Zootaxa 3182 (1) on page 9, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3182.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/524794

Dugesia tubqalis Harrath & Sluys 2012, sp. nov.

Dugesia tubqalis Harrath & Sluys, sp. nov. Material examined Holotype: ZMA V.Pl. 6905.1, Imlil and Taddert, Toubkal Mountains, Marrakech, Morocco, 23 December 2009, coll. A. H. Harrath, sagittal sections on 18 slides. Paratypes: ZMA V.Pl. 6905.2, ibid., sagittal sections on 18 slides; V.Pl. 6905.3, sagittal sections on 16 slides; V.Pl. 6905.4, horizontal sections on 6 slides; V.Pl. 6905.5, horizontal sections on 8 slides. Other material: ZMA V Pl. 6906.1, Taddert, Toubkal Marrakech, Morocco, 23 December 2009, coll. A. H. Harrath, sagittal sections on 19 slides.Published as part of Harrath, Abdul Halim, Sluys, Ronald, Merzoug, Djemoi, Khebiza, Mohamed Yacoubi-, Alwasel, Saleh & Riutort, Marta, 2012, Freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from the Palearctic section of the African continent: new records, with the description of a new species, pp. 1-15 in Zootaxa 3182 (1) on page 2, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3182.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/524794