A new species, Phthiridium sawadai (Diptera: Nycteribiidae), is described on the basis of specimens collected from the Yaeyama least horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus perditus, of Iriomote Island, Okinawa, southern Japan. This species is closely related to P. ornatum and P. szechuanum recorded from the Asian Continent in having a serrated process on the phallobase of male genitalia, but can easily be separated from these species in both male and female morphology. A key to the three Phthiridium species and a key to all eleven species of Nycteribiidae known from Japan are also provided.

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A field evaluation of the acaricidal effect on ticks was conducted in Chiba Prefecture in 2014. Eleven formulations of organophosphates and pyrethroids, including emulsifiable concentrate (EC), flowable (FL), dust and CO₂ gas formulation, were evaluated simultaneously. These formulations were respectively applied to zones 2 m wide by 17–60 m long with dosages between 0.05–0.25 g AI/m², which are the recommended dosages for cockroach control in buildings. The numbers of ticks collected by the dragging method with flannels were compared between pre- and post-treatment. The genus Haemaphysalis and Amblyomma were captured during the test period. All the formulations drastically suppressed the tick density on day 1. High reduction rates of more than 90% were observed until day 4 in all formulations, and persistence for at least for 31 days was recognized in fenitrothion EC, FL and fenthion dust. Phenothrin CO₂ gas formulation that flows in the air with little residue in the soil or on foliage also yielded a long suppression effect at a dosage of 0.05 g AI/m². Tick infestation from outside the test plot seemed to be feeble after the treatment. These results suggested that all the formulations achieved superior suppression effect on the ticks.

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In taxonomy, assigning a scientific name and a common name for insects often include person's name, locality name, morphological characters as well as other information. Presently, 75 species of blackflies are known in Japan. The author reports here the result of examination of the origin of scientific name and the common name of blackflies of Japan.

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