The genus Flavivirus includes related, unclassified segmented flavi-like viruses, two segments of which have homology with flavivirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase NS5 and RNA helicase-protease NS3. This group includes such viruses as Jingmen tick virus, Alongshan virus, Yanggou tick virus and others. We detected the Yanggou tick virus in Dermacentor nuttalli and Dermacentor marginatus ticks in two neighbouring regions of Russia. The virus prevalence ranged from 0.5% to 8.0%. We detected RNA of the Alongshan virus in 44 individuals or pools of various tick species in eight regions of Russia. The virus prevalence ranged from 0.6% to 7.8%. We demonstrated the successful replication of the Yanggou tick virus and Alongshan virus in IRE/CTVM19 and HAE/CTVM8 tick cell lines without a cytopathic effect. According to the phylogenetic analysis, we divided the Alongshan virus into two groups: an Ixodes persulcatus group and an Ixodes ricinus group. In addition, the I. persulcatus group can be divided into European and Asian subgroups. We found amino acid signatures specific to the I. ricinus and I. persulcatus groups and also distinguished between the European and Asian subgroups of the I. persulcatus group.

Techniques for sampling and preserving bloodsucking dipterans: mosquitoes, blackflies, biting midges, and horseflies (Diptera: Culicidae, Simuliidae, Ceratopogonidae, Tabanidae) are reviewed. We partly developed these techniques and used them in ecological, faunistic, and taxonomic studies requiring identification of specimens. Here, we describe the techniques used for adults, larvae, and pupae, both common to all the bloodsucking dipterans and specific to each group. For example, techniques for rearing larvae and pupae are described.

Records of 16 species of the mosquito genera Anopheles , Coquillettidia , Culex , and Culiseta (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northwestern Russia are mapped. The values of the sum of active temperatures above 0°C were shown to correlate with the position of the northern range boundaries of mosquito species, according to which 16 species were included in 4 distribution groups.

An annotated list of 46 mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) is presented, the first of its kind for the Northwestern region of Russia. It is based on identification of species in the authors’ own collections (9939 specimens), revision of collections of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2755 specimens), and analysis of the literature data. As a result, 1 species was found to be new to the fauna of Northwest Russia as a whole, 7 species, to individual regions (the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Kaliningrad, and Pskov provinces), and 1 species, to the adjacent territories (Estonia).

The fauna of bloodsucking Diptera of northwestern Russia comprises 226 species of mosquitoes (Culicidae), biting midges (Ceratopogonidae), black flies (Simuliidae) and horseflies (Tabanidae). In particular, Culicidae include 41 species from 10 subgenera of 5 genera of 2 subfamilies. Simuliidae are represented by 110 species of 23 genera, belonging to 6 tribes of 2 subfamilies; the genus Culicoides of the Ceratopogonidae, by 31 species; and Tabanidae, by 44 species of 7 genera from 2 subfamilies. There is a necessity of elaboration and application of more advanced forms of information storage and field data standardization. In the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, a special database on the bloodsucking insects of Russia is created in the DBMS Access. A list of abundant bloodsucking species of mosquitoes, biting midges, black flies and horseflies is included. A brief synopsis of bibliography of investigations of the bloodsucking dipterans from northwestern Russia is given, provided with a list of more then 190 publication.

Records of 31 Aedes species (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northwestern Russia are reviewed and mapped. Comparison of the species records and the values of the sum of active temperatures above 0°C for the collection localities was used to extrapolate the northern distribution boundaries of mosquitoes in Northwestern Russia. The position of the northern range boundaries of mosquito species was analyzed, according to which the species were included into nine distribution groups.