The taxonomy of the order Phthiraptera is unstable and still problematic to researchers. Most of the current taxon classifications are mainly based on morphological features. Campanulotes bidentatus belongs to the chewing lice of the Philopteridae family that mostly parasitic on birds. There is a lack of sequence data and phylogenetic analyses on the family Philopteridae. In the current study, C. bidentatus was collected from the domestic pigeon Columba livia and identified morphologically and molecularly based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene ( COI ). The infection rate of the Campanulotes genus was approximately 58.82% in this study. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mt COI gene was informative for members of Philopteridae and the group taxon genera formed distinct clades. Future studies were recommended using the 16s rRNA to enhance the tree topology and obtain clear differentiation between genera.

Bacterial secondary metabolites are a valuable source of various molecules that have antibacterial and anticancer activity. In this study, ten endosymbiotic bacteria of aphids, aphid predators and ants were isolated. Bacterial strains were identified according to the 16S rRNA gene. Ethyl acetate fractions of methanol extract (EA-ME) were prepared from each isolated bacterium and tested for their antibacterial activities using the disk diffusion method. The EA-ME of three bacterial species, Planococcus sp., Klebsiella aerogenes, Enterococcus avium, from the pomegranate aphids Aphis punicae, Chrysoperia carnea, and Tapinoma magnum, respectively, exhibited elevated antibacterial activity against one or several of the five pathogenic bacteria tested. The inhibition zones ranged from 10.00 ± 0.13 to 20.00 ± 1.11 mm, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.156 mg/mL to 1.25 mg/mL. The most notable antibacterial activity was found in the EA-ME of K. aerogenes against Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli, with an MIC value of 0.156 mg/mL. The cytotoxic activity of EA-ME was dependent on the cell line tested. The most significant cytotoxicity effect was observed for extracts of K. aerogenes and E. avium, at 12.5 µg/mL, against the epithelial cells of lung carcinoma (A549), with a cell reduction of 79.4% and 67.2%, respectively. For the EA-ME of K. aerogenes and Pantoea agglomerans at 12.5 µg/mL, 69.4% and 67.8% cell reduction were observed against human colon cancer (Hct116), respectively. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of three EA-ME revealed the presence of several bioactive secondary metabolites that have been reported previously to possess antibacterial and anticancer properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the biological activities of endosymbiotic bacteria in aphids, aphid predators and ants. The promising data presented in this study may pave the way for alternative drugs to overcome the continued emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, and find alternative drugs to conventional cancer therapies.

Termites are social insects of economic importance that have a worldwide distribution. Identifying termite species has traditionally relied on morphometric characters. Recently, several mitochondrial genes have been used as genetic markers to determine the correlation between different species. Heavy metal accumulation causes serious health problems in humans and animals. Being involved in the food chain, insects are used as bioindicators of heavy metals. In the present study, 100 termite individuals of Anacanthotermes ochraceus were collected from two Saudi Arabian localities with different geoclimatic conditions (Riyadh and Taif). These individuals were subjected to morphological identification followed by molecular analysis using mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequence, thus confirming the morphological identification of A. ochraceus. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted to determine the genetic relationship between the acquired species and other termite species with sequences previously submitted in the GenBank database. Several heavy metals including Ca, Al, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ba, Cr, Co, Be, Ni, V, Pb, Cd, and Mo were measured in both collected termites and soil samples from both study sites. All examined samples (termite and soil) showed high concentrations of metals with different concentrations and ratios. Generally, most measured metals had a significantly high concentration in soil and termites at Taif, except for Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, and Ni showing significantly high concentrations at Riyadh. Furthermore, termites accumulated higher amounts of heavy metals than the soil at both locations. The mean concentrations of the measured metals in soil samples were found to be in the descending order Ca ˃ Al ˃ Mg ˃ Zn ˃ Fe ˃ Cu ˃ Mn ˃ Ba ˃ Cr ˃ Co ˃ Be ˃ Ni ˃ V ˃ Pb ˃ Cd ˃ Mo, while it was Ca ˃ Mg ˃ Al ˃ Fe ˃ Zn ˃ Cu ˃ Mn ˃ Be ˃ Ba ˃ Pb ˃ Cr ˃ V ˃ Ni ˃ Cd ˃ Mo ˃ Co in termite specimens. The mean concentrations of the studied metals were determined in the soil and termite specimens at both locations. In addition, the contamination factor, pollution load index (PLI) and degree of contamination were calculated for all studied metals in different samples, indicating that both studied sites were polluted. However, Taif showed a significantly higher degree of pollution. Thus, the accurate identification of economically important insects, such as termites, is of crucial importance to plan for appropriate control strategies. In addition, termites are a good bioindicator to study land pollution.

Background The genus Nebo has been identified as a medically important scorpion species distributed across Arabia and the Middle East. However, its taxonomic status remains unclear. Aim The molecular phylogeny of two Nebo species from Saudi Arabia and comparative sequences from Palestine is presented based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Methodology Scorpion specimens were collected from two different localities, mainly the Southern part of Saudi Arabia. Then, DNA was extracted, amplified using invertebrate universal primers, and sequenced to identify the COI gene. The obtained sequences were analyzed, and phylogenetic trees based on maximum parsimony, neighbor-joining, and Bayesian inference were constructed. Results The inferred phylogeny indicates the monophyletic status of the family Diplocentridae and its subfamily Nebinae and Diplocentrinae. Also, the phylogenetic analyses support the existence of interspecific and intraspecific variations among/ within Nebo hierichonticus and Nebo yemenensis which may indicate distinct species. Conclusion Further morphological studies with additional specimens from the Arabian Peninsula may reveal possible undiscovered and cryptic species.

Chewing lice comprise a large group of ectoparasites that colonize and adversely affect several domestic and wild birds including pigeons. In Saudi Arabia, there is a lack of studies describing such ectoparasites and their infestation rates. Through this work, a new record, Columbicola, tschulyschman Eichler (C. tschulyschman Eichler) was collected from domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica, Linnaeus). The collected C. tschulyschman Eichler was morphologically identified based on specific taxonomic keys. Mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (EF-1α) gene fragments were used for molecular identification and phylogenetic reconstruction. In this study, the C. tschulyschman Eichler accounted for around 69.40%. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. tschulyschman Eichler in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. To improve the tree topology and differentiate between genera, further studies should utilize the 16s rRNA.