Search for the blind vampire: First record of Eoctenes Kirkaldy in Southern Luzon, (Hemiptera: Polyctenidae), with key to the Cimicoidea, ectoparasitic on bats in the Philippines

Polyctenidae Westwood, also known as bat bugs, is a haematophagous group of hemipterans exclusively ectoparasitic on bats and is closely related to Cimicidae Latreille. These bugs are dorsoventrally flattened with conspicuous ctenidia, apterous, anophthalmus, possess well-developed legs, and reproduce via pseudoplacental viviparity. They are rare compared to other insect taxa ectoparasitic on bats as evinced by a relatively small number of museum collections and described taxa. Worldwide, it is represented by 2 subfamilies, 5 genera, and 32 species. In the Philippines, it is only represented by two species from the genus Eoctenes Kirkaldy: E. spasmae (Waterhouse) and E. intermedius (Speiser). The first Philippine record for the genus was reported in 1961 from Northern Luzon. This paper presents the first record of Eoctenes in Southern Luzon, with key to the Cimicoidea ectoparasitic on bats in the Philippines

Checklist of ectoparasitic arthropods among cave-dwelling bats from Marinduque Island, Philippines

This paper constitutes the first ectoparasite faunal survey of bats for Marinduque Island, Philippines. From 1–12 June 2010, 150 bats belonging to 11 species were captured in 11 caves on the island. Each bat was sampled for ectoparasitic arthropods, and a total of 587 individuals representing 21 species, belonging to five families (Acari: Argasidae and Spinturnicidae; Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae; and Siphonaptera: Ischnopsyllidae) were collected. New host records (new host record) in the Philippines for Brachytarsina cucullata Jobling 1934, B. proxima Jobling 1951, B. werneri Jobling 1951, Raymondia pseudopagodarum Jobling 1951, Eucampsipoda philippinensis Ferris 1924, Nycteribia allotopa Speiser 1901, Nycteribia allotopoides Theodor 1963, Nycteribia parvuloides Theodor 1963, Ancystropus taprobanius (Turk 1950), and Carios batuensis Hirst 1929 were documented. A checklist of the ectoparasitic species known from the Philippines, their distribution, and bat host species is provided

The calling songs of some katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia

Katydids produce sound by stridulation of the tegmina for signalling and communication. Most katydids are known to sing at ultrasonic frequencies, as compared to crickets. This has drawn interest to investigate the biophysics of ultrasonic sound production and detection, evolution and ecology (including predator–prey interactions) of these katydids. However, most of these studies are based on species from the neotropics, whereas nearly nothing is known about the relatives from another hyper-diverse region, i.e., Southeast Asia. To address this, a concerted effort to document, record and describe the calling songs of Southeast Asian katydids, especially species which calls at ultrasonic frequencies, were conducted. A study spanning over two years (2018 to 2020) in Malay Peninsula (Singapore and Malaysia), Borneo (Brunei Darussalam and Sabah) and the Philippines revealed previously unknown calls of 24 katydid species from four subfamilies. The calling songs of Southeast Asian katydid species are highly diversified in both the time and frequency domains. Call structure can range from isolated syllables (e.g., Holochlora), continuous trills (e.g., Axylus philippinus) to short pulse-trains (e.g., Euanisous teuthroides) and complex echemes (e.g., Conocephalus spp.). 87.5 % of species have ultrasonic peak frequencies and 12.5 % can be considered extreme ultrasonic callers (peak frequency >40 kHz). The call spectrum ranges from tonal (e.g., spectral entropy = 6.8 in Casigneta sp. 2) to resonant (entropy = 8.8 in Conocephalus cognatus). Of the 24 species whose calls are described here, we also imaged and described the sound-producing structures of 18 species. This study provides a preliminary overview of the acoustic diversity of katydids in Southeast Asia and the authors hope to inspire further investigation into the bioacoustics of little-known katydids from Southeast Asia. Amassing a database of calling songs and sound-producing organs from different species can be important to address the taxonomy impediment while advancing our knowledge about the bioacoustics of Southeast Asian katydids

Systematics of cryptic species of Lebinthus crickets in Mount Makiling (Grylloidea, Eneopterinae)

Robillard, Tony, Yap, Sheryl, Yngente, Mark V. (2013): Systematics of cryptic species of Lebinthus crickets in Mount Makiling (Grylloidea, Eneopterinae). Zootaxa 3693 (1): 49-63, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3693.1.

First record and redescription of Helionothrips annosus Wang, 1993 (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in South Asian region: a pest of True Cinnamon Tree, Cinnamomum verum J.Presl. in Sri Lanka

A thrips species, Helionothrips annosus Wang, 1993, is reported for the first time from the South Asian region as a leaf damaging pest on True Cinnamon Tree in Sri Lanka and taxonomically redescribed. The species is very distinct in hav-ing a complete comb of microtrichia on abdominal tergite VIII. Female is dark brown and 1.5–1.6mm in length with a prominent transverse occipital ridge and metascutum triangle with posterior margin extending over the metascutellum. Its local distribution, alternative host plants, and damage to cultivated True Cinnamon leaves are also recorded in this study

New species for Virgilia Stål, 1870 (Hemiptera, Lophopidae), genus review and key to species

Soulier-Perkins, Adeline, Navasero, Mario, Yap, Sheryl, Wilson, Michael R. (2018): New species for Virgilia Stål, 1870 (Hemiptera, Lophopidae), genus review and key to species. Zootaxa 4415 (1): 135-149, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4415.1.

Revision of the endemic Philippine Poeciloterpa Stål (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) with description of four new species

Crispolon, Elorde Jr. S., Yap, Sheryl A., Soulier-Perkins, Adeline (2019): Revision of the endemic Philippine Poeciloterpa Stål (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) with description of four new species. Zootaxa 4608 (2): 291-328, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4608.2.