Fleas collected in Algeria in the district of Oran between July and September 2003 were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of Rickettsia spp. DNA using primers amplifying gltA and OmpA genes. Two gltA sequences identical to those of an emerging pathogen, Rickettsia felis, were detected including i) R. felis California 2 in Ctenocephalides canis from rodents and ii) R. felis RF2125 in Archeopsylla erinacei from hedgehogs.

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In this paper we discuss the potential usefulness of determining the phylogeographic and phylogenetic patterns of a vector for understanding the spread of pathogens or insecticide resistance. We do so using the example of Pulex simulans in Peru. Six populations from six different localities were investigated. Mitochondrial DNA sequences were obtained and branching patterns were inferred using phylogenetic reconstruction methods and nested clade analyses. Ten different haplotypes were discovered. Phylogenetic analysis revealed P. simulans in Peru as a monophyletic group, containing clades that were generally not geographically correlated. The data suggest that P. simulans is not a single genetic entity but rather that this species shows a high degree of intraspecific variation. Restricted gene flow with long distance dispersal coupled with range expansion and long distance colonization are likely to have contributed to the observed patterns of variation.

Mecoptera and Siphonaptera represent two insect orders that have largely been overlooked in the study of insect vision. Recent phylogenetic evidence demonstrates that Mecoptera (scorpionflies) is paraphyletic, with the order Siphonaptera (fleas) nesting as sister to the family Boreidae (snow fleas), showing an evolutionary trend towards reduction in gross eye morphology within fleas. We provide the first molecular characterization of long-wavelength opsins from these three lineages (opsin gene from fleas [FL-Opsin], the Boreidae [B-Opsin], and a mecopteran family [M-Opsin]) and assess the effects of loss of visual acuity on the structure and function of the opsin gene. Phylogenetic analysis implies a physiological sensitivity in the red-green spectrum for these opsins. Analysis of intron splice sites reveals a high degree of similarity between FL-Opsin and B-Opsin as well as conserved splice sites across insect blue-green and long-wavelength opsins. Calculated rates of evolution and tests for destabilizing selection indicate that FL-Opsin, B-Opsin, and M-Opsin are evolving at similar rates with no radical selective pressures, implying conservative evolution and functional constraint across all three lineages.

Pterygosoma patagonica n. sp. (Acari: Pterygosomatidae) is described from endemic iguanid lizards (Liolaemus spp.) of Argentina, based on its morphology. This external parasite is also known to parasitize Old World agamid lizards.