Catalog of the Biting Midges of the World (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Abstract

A list of all valid 6,206 extant and 296 fossil species of Ceratopogonidae described worldwide is provided, along with all their synonyms. A full citation and the country of origin of the type is given, with some larger countries also providing a more specific state or province. For the first time, worldwide, nomina dubia are identified. Numbers of species of each genus and subgenus are listed. Within subfamilies and tribes, genera are listed alphabetically. Five species have newly recognized authors, four have new names and 28 new combinations are recognized, with these listed in a table. A commentary on the state of the systematics in the family and particularly of Culicoides Latreille is given. The museums of the world are listed with the types of various authors of Ceratopogonidae species indicated. Authors providing regional catalogs, as well as summation of various collections are tabulated. The rate of description since 1758 indicates a steady progression of description, with, for example, 1,231 valid species described since the compilation of the world species by Borkent & Wirth (1997), till the end of 2018. The diversity in each Region is compared and the numbers of species shared between adjacent Regions presented.

Floral biology and pollination strategy of seven Tacca species (Taccaceae)

“…Ceratopogonidae are a diverse and abundant group of Diptera with a worldwide distribution and 6206 named species (Borkent and Dominiak in press). Like most nematocerous biting flies, biting midges generally emerge from a given habitat, with females emerging on average slightly after males and upon emergence seek out nearby male swarms, are mated and thereafter seek out a protein food source (blood of either vertebrates or invertebrates) to develop their eggs over the following days (Borkent ).…”

Blood meal analysis: host-feeding patterns of biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Culicoides Latreille) in Slovakia

“…By repeated PCR analysis, we could not determine the Culicoides species. The partial COI sequences for the individual midges were obtained using forward C1-J-1718 (5 0 -GGAGGATTTGGAAATTGATTAGT-3 0 ) and reverse C1-N-2191 (5 0 -CAGGTAAAATTAAAATATAAACTTCTGG-3 0 ) primers [10,13]. The resulting length of the amplified COI fragments was about 523 bp.…”

“…Only females are hematophagous and they use blood as a source of proteins necessary for laying eggs. So far, 1347 species of biting midges have been described in the world [ 10 ]; of these, 64 species have been confirmed in Slovakia [ 41 , 43 ]. After 2006, when bluetongue virus serotype 8 began to spread extensively, there was increased interest in monitoring biting midge occurrence and in investigating species composition [ 50 ].…”

Validation of an Effective Protocol for Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Detection Using eDNA Metabarcoding

“…The genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is a group of biting midges, including known agricultural pests of significant economic concern [ 7 , 8 ]. Culicoides are called ‘no-see-ums’ or punkies, and many of their distinguishing morphological features can only be examined using a microscope due to their small size [ 9 ].…”

“…Culicoides are called ‘no-see-ums’ or punkies, and many of their distinguishing morphological features can only be examined using a microscope due to their small size [ 9 ]. This genus comprises of 1347 known extant species globally [ 7 ], 150 of which are found in the Nearctic [ 10 ]. There are currently 38 known species of Culicoides in Ontario, Canada ( Table S1 ).…”