Review of Malaysian black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae): note on new record on Simulium kalimantanense from Sabah

Black flies are the two-winged, small-bodied (3mm to 6mm) and blood-suckinginsects of medical and veterinary importance. Female of certain species play a roleas a vector of several disease agents including, Onchocerca volvulus, causativeagent of human onchocerciasis. Despite their medical significance, the biodiversityof black flies in the Borneo part of Malaysia as well as other Southeast Asiancountries (except Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia) are unknown. Our recent visitto the Kangkawat Reserve within the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA) hassuccessfully discovered one new record from Malaysia, Simulium kalimantanense ofthe S. banauense species-group and one from Sabah, Simulium sarawakense of theS. epistum species-group. Based on these current findings, the total number ofspecies and species-group of black flies inhabiting Malaysia has increased to 96 and22 respectively.