Judul: Distribution and Diversity of Ectoparasite Mites on Geckos in Indonesia
Abstrak: Data on the diversity and dispersal of parasitic mites on house geckos in Indonesia are very scarce. In this work, the distribution and diversity of mites living on three species of house geckos, namely Cosymbotus platyurus, Hemidactylus frenatus, and H. garnotii collected throughout Indonesia, has been elaborated. Geckos and mites were captured and immediately preserved in 70% ethanol. Whole mount of the mites was prepared by clearing in lactophenol followed by mounting on polyvinyl lactophenol solutions. The SEM preparation was conducted to examine the detail morphological characters of the mites. The results showed that among 448 individuals of geckos, 221 geckos were infected by Geckobia mites. Prevalences of C. platyurus, H. frenatus, and H. garnotii infested by mites were 14.8%, 50.69%, and 79.6%, respectively. Three different spesies of Geckobia (G1, G2, and G3) could be differentiated; and based on similarities of their morphological characters to ones described in published literatures, Geckobia G2 is Geckobia glebosum and Geckobia G3 is Geckobia bataviensis while G1 could not be identified to the species level. The highest mean intensity of Geckobia G1 infestation was found on H. garnotii (I=7.0), G. glebosum infestation on H. frenatus (I=3.5), and G. bataviensis infestation on H. garnotii (I=11.8). In general, C. platyurus was infested by the least number of mites. Geckobia G1 were found living on the skin folds on the claws, G. glebosum were found mainly on the body and thigh, and G. bataviensis were found on almost all parts of the host’s body. Geckobia mites are distributed randomly throughout Indonesian Archipelago, following the pattern of distribution of their hosts. So it is concluded that Geckobia G1, G. glebosum, and G. bataviensis are sympatric.
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Judul: Keanekaragaman Tungau Ektoparasit pada Cicak Cosymbotus sp di Wilayah Depok
Abstrak: Ectoparasite mites are parasite that live on the body surface of the host. This research aims to see the diversity, intensity of infestation, and prevalence value of mites on house gecko, Cosymbotus platyurus, in Depok Area. Geckos were collected in three locations, such as houses, markets, and the city forest, and then preserved in 70% ethanol. Mites were collected from the head, tympani, armpit, part of body, thigh, tail, fingers, and toes of the geckos. From 140 individuals collected, 246 individuals of mites were found. The mites could be grouped in the genus of Geckobia and the family of Pterygosomatidae. Based on the morphological characteristics, the mites could be grouped into G1, G4, G5, G6, G7, and G10. Species identification of the mites based on chaetotaxy had confirmed that G5 and G10 were of close similarity to G. gleadoviana, while G4 and G6 were Geckobia Group 1, whereas the similarity of chaetotaxy G1 and G7 could not be confirmed. Prevalence of ectoparasites mites was the highest (55%) on the geckos from the city forest. The highest infestation value (4.0) were found in house geckos infected by G6, while the highest total infestation (4.6) was found among the geckos collected from the city forest.
Keyword: Geckobia, mites, ectoparasite, Cosymbotus, Geckos, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)

Judul: Konversi Asam Stearat Menjadi Stearonitril Dengan Dipandu Teknik Termodegradasi
Abstrak: Nitril merupakan senyawa antara penting dalam industri bahan kimia. Kajian secara komprehensif terhadap suhu dan waktu konversi asam lemak menjadi senyawa nitrilnya perlu dilakukan karena berpengaruh pada hasil sintesis. Pemantauan melalui teknik termodegradasi merupakan salah satu solusi dalam mengatasi masalah suhu reaksi. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mendapatkan informasi suhu dan waktu reaksi yang akurat menggunakan sifat termodegradasi dari konversi asam lemak menjadi stearonitril. Stearonitril disintesis dengan memanaskan bahan baku asam stearat, urea, dan akuades di dalam tanur. Suhu pemanasan didasarkan pada hasil analisis termal bahan baku. Kondisi optimum untuk reaksi ini adalah pada 300 °C selama 3 jam yang ditunjukkan dengan termogram kalorimetri pemayaran diferensial, analisis termal diferensial, analisis termogravimetri, dan spektrum inframerah transformasi Fourier. Produk pemanasan tidak diperoleh dalam keadaan murni karena masih terdapat asam stearat. Senyawa amida didapati sebagai senyawa antara konversi ini.
Keyword: analisis termal, asam stearat, FTIR, nitril, urea