Medical and Veterinary Entomology最新文献

{"title":"The enigmatic case of Lipoptena sp. in the Bosco della Mesola Nature Reserve (Italy).","authors":"Federica Usai, Filippo Maria Dini, Ilaria Guarniero, Enrica Bellinello, Laura Stancampiano","doi":"10.1111/mve.70002","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.70002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Species belonging to the genus Lipoptena have received limited attention and have historically been subject to misidentifications. Recent records of L. fortisetosa in Europe have rekindled interest in these hippoboscids, leading to the discovery of a new species in Spain in 2024, which has been named L. andaluciensis. During an opportunistic sampling conducted in March 2023 and October 2024 on the Italian red deer (Cervus elaphus italicus), an Italian endemic subspecies, within the ancient relict lowland forest of the Bosco della Mesola Nature Reserve, hippoboscids morphologically identical to L. andaluciensis were collected and examined. This represents the first record of this species in Italy. In total, 257 specimens of Lipoptena were collected and analysed (161 in 2023 and 94 in 2024), all identified as L. andaluciensis. Additionally, Lipoptena specimens collected from fallow deer in 2007 within the same nature reserve, which had remained unidentified until now, were re-examined. A total of 66 specimens were reassessed, of which 63 were morphologically identified as L. andaluciensis and 3 as L. cervi. Morphological identification of the 2023 and 2024 specimens was further confirmed through molecular analysis using COI as a barcode marker. Molecular analysis also revealed the presence of a nuclear copy of the COI gene (NUMTs) in the nuclear genome of L. andaluciensis. The discovery of L. andaluciensis in Spain and in Italy since 2007 raises the possibility that this species has a much broader distribution, particularly at lower altitudes and within a Mediterranean climatic zone. It is plausible that its presence has so far gone unnoticed or has been misidentified.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144883152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ticks and tick-borne bacterial pathogens found on hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on cattle in the Central River region of The Gambia.","authors":"Alpha Kargbo, Aamir M Osman, Edrisa Jawo, Lamin K M Fatty, Flavia C M Collere, Marcos R André, Ahmed A Hassan-Kadle, Thállitha S W J Vieira, Rosangela Z Machado, Rafael F C Vieira","doi":"10.1111/mve.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ticks are significant vectors of pathogens affecting both animals and humans, with the climate and environment of Sub-Saharan Africa providing ideal conditions for their growth. However, there are limited data on ticks and tick-borne pathogens (T&TBPs) in cattle in The Gambia. This study aimed to identify tick species on cattle and conduct molecular screening for T&TBPs. A total of 92 ticks were collected from 306 indigenous cattle. Ticks were first identified morphologically using taxonomic keys and then confirmed molecularly through DNA sequencing. DNA was extracted from the right fourth leg of six representative ticks for species confirmation, while 77 whole adult ticks were used for screening T&TBPs. Screening polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeted Anaplasma marginale msp1β gene, Ehrlichia spp. dsb gene and hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. 16S rRNA gene. Ehrlichia-positive samples underwent additional assays targeting the sodB, 16S rRNA and groEL genes, followed by Sanger sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. A total of 92 (53 M, 37 F and two nymphs) ticks were collected from 30/306 (9.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.6%-12.2%) cattle. Adult ticks were identified as Hyalomma marginatum (73/92; 79.3%; 45 M and 28 F), Amblyomma variegatum (8/92; 8.7%; 8 M), Hyalomma rufipes (4/92; 4.3%; 4 F) and Rhipicephalus evertsi (1/92; 1.1%; one F). The 16S rRNA sequences of six (four engorged female and two nymphs) ticks showed 98.6-100% identity with reference sequences from Rhipicephalus geigyi. Twelve out of 77 (15.6%) ticks tested positive for at least one TBP. Eight H. marginatum (six M and two F) (10.4%) were positive for Ehrlichia spp. dsb gene, three H. marginatum (two M and one F) (3.9%) for A. marginale and two (one H. marginatum F and one A. variegatum M) (2.6%) for hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. All Ehrlichia-positive samples showed 100% detection for the 16S rRNA gene and 62.5% for the sodB gene. BLASTn analysis revealed 99.3%-99.7% identity with Ehrlichia sp. from Brazil and 98.2%-99.3% identity with E. minasensis from Panama and Pakistan. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the sequences from this study with Ehrlichia spp. and E. minasensis from ticks in the Czech Republic and Brazil. This study identified various tick species and pathogens in cattle from The Gambia, including the first report of E. minasensis, A. marginale and hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. in the country. These findings highlight the importance of ongoing surveillance and research on tick-borne diseases in the region.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144859356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Culicoides species involved in the BTV-3 epidemic, the Netherlands, 2023-2024.","authors":"Mathilde Uiterwijk, Frans Jacobs, Karst de Boer, Arno-Jan Feddema, Rianka P M Vloet, Marian Dik, José L Gonzales, Piet A van Rijn, Armin R W Elbers, Melle Holwerda","doi":"10.1111/mve.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an arthropod-borne virus that is transmitted between ruminants by Culicoides (Order Diptera, Family Ceratopogonidae) midges. In September 2023, BTV serotype 3 (BTV-3/NET2023) emerged in the Netherlands, causing a devastating epidemic in sheep and cattle. The aim of this study was to determine which midge species contributed to the spread of BTV-3 and to what extent the virus is present in local midge populations. Midges were collected using Onderstepoort UV-light suction traps on BTV-affected farms in the centre of the Netherlands, from October 2023 till March 2024. Species, sex and parity of the midges were morphologically determined. Pooled female parous and gravid midges were subjected to pan-BTV and BTV-3 real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Pool prevalence, minimum infection rate (MIR) and infection rate (IR) were calculated. In total, 33,093 midges were morphologically identified, all being indigenous Culicoides species. Of these, 10,835 parous or gravid female midges were selected and pooled in 383 pools (mean 28.3 midges per pool, range 1-115). A total of 155 pools (40.5%) tested BTV positive, with a mean MIR/100 of 1.4 and an IR of 2.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.9-2.6). All positive pools were from batches that were collected in October 2023 (week 40 and 41). BTV-RNA was detected in the Culicoides species C. obsoletus Meigen, C. scoticus Downes and Kettle, C. chiopterus Meigen, C. dewulfi Goetghebuer and C. punctatus Meigen. The high proportion of BTV-PCR positive midge pools is indicative of a high vector competence for BTV-3/NET2023 of Dutch indigenous midges present on farms; it could potentially partly explain the rapid spread of the virus throughout the Netherlands.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144855758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Larvicidal potential of Pseudomonas mosselii isolated from Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) egg surfaces against dengue vector mosquitoes and its impact on non-target organisms.","authors":"Supipi H Wijesundara, Sanduni R Piumali, Thilini C Weeraratne, Faseeha Noordeen, Priyanka P de Silva W A","doi":"10.1111/mve.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The critical impact of mosquito-borne diseases on public health, along with the failure of current control strategies, highlights the need for novel mosquito control approaches mainly in tropical countries. This study explored the larvicidal properties of bacterial isolates from the egg surfaces of Aedes aegypti L. and Aedes albopictus Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae), the primary and secondary dengue vector mosquitoes in Sri Lanka. Among 30 bacterial isolates, a local strain of Pseudomonas mosselii Quesnel isolated from the egg surfaces of the dengue vectors demonstrated strong larvicidal activity against Ae. aegypti. Larvicidal assays using the bacterial supernatant (OD 1.7) and freeze-dried products were performed across concentrations ranging from 80 to 2.1 mg/mL. The LC₅₀ values for the supernatant were 55, 54 and 52 mg/mL at 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively, with corresponding LC₉₀ values of 91, 89 and 86 mg/mL. Freeze-dried supernatant showed LC₅₀ values of 2.73, 2.64 and 2.63 mg/mL, while freeze-dried bacterial culture showed higher toxicity with LC₅₀ values of 2.57, 2.51 and 2.44 mg/mL. Strong larvicidal activity was observed against Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae), a primary vector of filariasis. The freeze-dried products retained their efficacy for up to 2 months. Ovicidal and adulticidal assays indicated no significant effects on mosquito eggs or adults. However, the active components of bacterial metabolites significantly impacted the development of Aedes larvae. Toxicity effects were observed in non-target organisms, including zooplankton and tadpoles. These findings suggest the local Ps. mosselii strain as a potential bio-larvicide against dengue vectors while underscoring the need for further environmental assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to \"Are Rattus rattus fleas invasive? Evaluation of flea communities in invasive and native rodents in Chile\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/mve.70001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144799562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Entomological surveillance for phlebotomines in the metropolitan region of Aracaju, Brazil.","authors":"David Campos Andrade, Jociel Klleyton Santos Santana, Felipe Mendes Fontes, Helon Simões Oliveira, Rafaella Albuquerque E Silva, Cláudia Moura de Melo, Mara Cristina Pinto, Rubens Riscala Madi","doi":"10.1111/mve.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Records of infections by Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) have been occurring in the last decade in Sergipe, Brazil. The capital, Aracaju, alone accounted for 44% of the total cases of the state for the visceral form between 2007 and 2016, with high numbers also in other municipalities that make up the metropolitan region. In this sense, this work aimed to carry out entomological surveillance actions in the municipalities of the Metropolitan Region of Aracaju and evaluate the characteristics of the peri-domestic environments that contribute to the maintenance of species richness and abundance. Entomological captures were carried out between 2021 and 2022 with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-type traps for three consecutive nights between twilight and dawn at the beginning of the dry and rainy periods in the peri-domestic area of residences in neighbourhoods peri-urban in the municipalities in the metropolitan region: Aracaju, Barra dos Coqueiros, Nossa Senhora do Socorro and São Cristóvão. The characteristics around the houses were also recorded in a field diary. Constancy, dominance for all species, the household infestation rate and the relative abundance index of the vector for epidemiologically interesting species were calculated. Chi-square tests and multivariate analyses of variance were also performed to search for associations between the vectors and aspects of the dwellings. In total, 752 phlebotomines were captured at 64 collection points. Seven species of phlebotomines were identified, including Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912), Evandromyia lenti (Mangabeira, 1938) and Migonemyia migonei (França, 1920). The vector Lu. longipalpis was the species that showed the highest infestation in residences. The results also reveal a sex-specific association influenced by vegetation size, suggesting that denser vegetation may promote male aggregation, a behavioural trait that could be explored in the development of targeted vector control strategies. No significant association was recorded between abundance and environmental factors, which may be related to the difficulty of measuring this association in a heterogeneous environment with so many anthropic interferences in the urbanisation process. By evidencing the influence of ecological factors such as vegetation size on vector behaviour, this study offers insights to enhance leishmaniasis control strategies in Sergipe.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144794877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in Culicoides sonorensis feeding behaviour following sublethal insecticide exposure.","authors":"Parker A Mullins, Emily G McDermott","doi":"10.1111/mve.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are economically important biting flies known for transmitting pathogens like bluetongue virus to livestock. In order to control these insects and the diseases they are associated with, livestock producers employ a variety of preventive practices which commonly include insecticide use. The efficacy of insecticide treatments can wane over time as insects either develop resistance or the active ingredient is degraded in the environment. Sublethal insecticide exposures can change vector behaviour in ways that affect vectorial capacity. To determine whether Culicoides feeding behaviour is altered by sublethal exposure to commonly used agricultural insecticides, we exposed female C. sonorensis Wirth and Jones to permethrin and coumaphos at lethal concentrations (LC) ranging from LC₁₀ to LC₃₀. We also exposed midges to fluralaner at 100 mg/mL. Midges were offered a blood meal at 6, 12, 18 and 24 h post-exposure, and blood-feeding success was measured. We identified a significant inhibition of engorgement by permethrin up to 12 h post-exposure as well as by fluralaner up to 6 h post-exposure. Engorgement after coumaphos exposure was paradoxically higher in the LC₃₀ group after 18 and 24 h post-exposure, but decreased at the same timepoints for the LC₂₀ group. The different modes of action of each of these insecticides may account for their differing effects on Culicoides feeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modelling vector and host distributions to inform potential disease risk: A case study of West Nile virus in the United Kingdom.","authors":"Amy J Withers, Simon Croft, Richard Budgey, Daniel A Warren, Nicholas Johnson","doi":"10.1111/mve.12825","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12825","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vector-borne diseases pose significant global threats to both human and animal health, and their impacts are expected to intensify with ongoing climate change. Understanding the ecological and environmental drivers of these diseases is essential for developing effective surveillance and control strategies. Central to this is knowledge of the distributions of vectors and hosts, and how these may shift in response to environmental changes. In this study, we present a generalisable framework for predicting the current and future distributions of vectors and wildlife hosts using correlative modelling approaches. We integrate these predictions with data on livestock and human populations to inform the potential risk of West Nile virus (WNV) establishment and exposure in the United Kingdom. Currently absent from the United Kingdom, WNV is an orthoflavivirus maintained in a natural transmission cycle between mosquitoes and birds. Spillover into incidental hosts such as humans and horses can result in febrile illness, with severe cases leading to encephalitis and death. Our findings identify regions at elevated risk of WNV establishment where competent avian hosts and mosquito vectors are likely to co-occur and where infected vectors may interact with spillover hosts. We also explore how these risk patterns may evolve by 2100 under different environmental scenarios. Across all scenarios, risk is projected to increase in the south-east of the United Kingdom and decline in northern regions. This work demonstrates how modelling current and future vector and host distributions can inform risk assessments for emerging vector-borne diseases. Such insights are critical for guiding policy decisions and enhancing preparedness for disease incursions in a changing environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphological identification of first-instar larvae of European flesh flies of forensic importance.","authors":"Krzysztof Szpila, Sebastian Maliszewski, Agnieszka Soszyńska, Martin Villet, René Richet, Thomas Pape","doi":"10.1111/mve.12826","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12826","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), along with blow flies, are among the first colonizers of vertebrate cadavers, including human corpses. Their early colonization and rapid development frequently result in the collection of flesh fly larvae as evidence during crime scene investigations or autopsies. Despite their regular occurrence and confirmed forensic importance, the species-level identification of sarcophagid larvae remains challenging. To address this, the morphology of the first-instar larva of three common and widespread European species with confirmed forensic relevance-Sarcophaga africa, S. caerulescens, S. melanura-was revised. Material was analysed using both light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Taxonomically important characters were identified in the pseudocephalon, the facial mask, mouthhooks and basal sclerite of the cephaloskeleton, and the distribution and shape of spines and papillae of the anal plate. The results are compared with previous descriptions, and an identification key is presented for the first-instar larvae of forensically relevant flesh fly species of central and northern Europe.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144698982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Current and future applications of species distribution and ecological niche modelling for the study of ticks and tick-borne pathogens\u0000 Aplicaciones actuales y futuras de los modelos de distribución de especies y de nicho ecológico para el estudio de garrapatas y patógenos transmitidos por garrapatas","authors":"Uriel Mauricio Valdez-Espinoza,&nbsp;Diego Santiago-Alarcon,&nbsp;Fabricio Villalobos,&nbsp;Roberta Marques,&nbsp;Rodolfo Lagunes-Quintanilla,&nbsp;Andrés Lira-Noriega","doi":"10.1111/mve.12820","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12820","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ecological niche models (ENMs) and species distribution models (SDMs) are essential tools for investigating the ecological requirements and geographic distributions of species at multiple spatial and temporal scales. While these modelling techniques have been employed across various taxonomic groups to explore ecology, evolution and biogeography, their application to ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) has yielded valuable—though not yet conclusive—perspectives for understanding epidemiology and pathogen transmission risk. Advances in research on these topics necessitate a review to determine whether there is consistency in the conceptual and methodological implementation of these approaches, as well as to identify needs for improvement and adaptation to more informative alternatives. Here, we aim to review the state of the art in the use of these concepts and tools in the study of tick species and TBPs worldwide to provide a clear understanding of their theoretical and methodological foundations, study topics, involved species, variables, geographic resolutions, applications of model outputs and thematic evolution. We conducted a formal literature review of 158 publications in the period from 1997 to May 2024, along with bibliometric and scientometric analyses. Results indicate that the main topic of study resides in the prediction of current and future potential geographic distribution, and most of the work has been carried out only for nine genera of ticks, with major focus on species belonging to the family Ixodidae and those affecting human health. <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> Johnson et al. (Spirochaetales: Borreliaceae) is the most explored pathogen. Studies have mostly used bioclimatic variables, but some studies also incorporate topographic variables from local to global scales, with resolutions ranging from 30 m to 80 km. Although ENM and SDM in ticks and TBPs have been routinely used, very few have been validated in the field, and their projections are not used in epidemiological monitoring. Over 60% of the studies do not report sufficient methodological information for replication. We also detected imprecise usage of the terms ENM and SDM, which are often used interchangeably. This lack of conceptual clarity impedes the adequate treatment of both ecological niches and geographic distributions, hindering advancement in this research field worldwide. We recommend including species of the family Argasidae in future studies to analyse their ecological requirements and potential distributions. These species have been poorly studied despite being vectors of pathogens causing diseases with medical and veterinary importance (e.g., relapsing fever and spirochetosis). Lastly, we identify key areas for improvement—from biogeographical knowledge gaps to the use of modern sampling methods, algorithms and hypotheses—that would enhance the application of these concepts and modelling techniques.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"39 3","pages":"399-421"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12820","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144642919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}