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The activity of seven acid hydrolases (acid phosphatase, DNase, RNase, ß-glucosidase, ß-galactosidase, cathepsin В, cathepsin D) and tissue protein content were comparatively studied in two cestode species of the genus Triaenophorus (T. crassus and T. nodulosus) sampled from pike (Esox lucius) from Lake Kamennoye (northern Karelia). Differences between the lysosomal enzyme profiles of these species were identified. Triaenophorus crassus demonstrated higher activities of acid phosphatase and ß-galactosidase. The activities of ß-glucosidase, cathepsin В and DNase were reliably lower than in T. nodulosus. The lower ecological plasticity of T. crassus and the differences detected in the biochemical reactions in the two helminth species are indicative of a more strenuous relationships of T. crassus with its definitive host, pike, in comparing with T. nodulosus.

We give data on gamasid mites (Gamasina) sampled on small terrestrial vertebrates in Kaluga region. There are 34 species, 19 genera, and 9 families. Hematophages include 20 species. Laelaps clethrionomydis and L. agilis consist of 52 % from all collected mites.

The types of exoskeleton anomalies and their frequency were described for female and male Ixodes pavlovskyi pavlovskyi Pomerantsev 1946 collected from vegetation by flagging in forest and meadow-field biotopes on Russky Island (Primorsky Krai, Russia) in 2013-2019. On the Russky Island I. p. pavlovskyi distributed everywhere, but not evenly. Other common species on the island are Ixodes persulcatus Schulze, 1930 (dominant or codominating species in different biotopes), Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, 1844 (dominant in meadow-field biotopes), Haemaphysalis japonica douglasi Nuttall et Warburton, 1915. Dermacentor silvarum Olenev, 1932 was rarely detected. The exoskeleton morphology of I. p. pavlovskyi imagoes (n= 803) was studied using a stereomi-croscope. Six types of anomalies were detected in 24 of 437 females, so female's anomalies frequency was 5.5 ± 1.09 %. The same as in I. persulcatus females, the most frequent anomaly in I. p. pavlovskyi females's was "shagreen skin" (damage of the scutum surface; 37.5 ± 9.88 % of all anomalies). In three females (0.7 ± 0.39 %) two anomalies were detected simultaneously. The exoskeleton structures of 366 males of I. p. pavlovskyi were characterized by five types of anomalies detected in six males (1.6 ± 0.66 %), which is significantly less than in females. The most of males had pair depressions on conscutum (back from pseudoscutum, on both sides of the conscutum), so we considered this feature is normal for I. p. pavlovskyi males. This phenotype is considered anomalous for male I. persulcatus and it is the most common type of their exoskeleton disturbance. Males I. p. pavlovskyi with double anomalies were not found. The similar types and ratios of exoskeleton anomalies were revealed in imagoes of I. p. pavlovskyi and I. persulcatus; however, the I. persulcatus imagoes were characterized by much higher anomalies frequency.

Techniques for sampling and preserving are reviewed for bloodsucking dipterans, i. e. mosquitoes, black flies, biting midges, and horseflies (Diptera: Culicidae, Simuliidae, Ceratopogonidae, Tabanidae). These techniques are used and partly developed by us for ecological-faunistic and taxonomic studies requiring the identification of specimens. Here, we describe the techniques used for adults, larvae, and pupae, both common to all bloodsucking dipterans and specific to each family. In particular, techniques for rearing of adults from larvae and pupae are described.

The key dates of life and the research contributions of the outstanding Russian parasitologist are reviewed.