Culicoides

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Culicoides

Culicoides sonorensis after blood meal

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Ceratopogonidae
Tribe:	Culicoidini
Genus:	Culicoides Latreille, 1809

Subgenera

Numerous, see text

Culicoides is a genus of biting midges in the subfamily Ceratopogonidae. Around 500 species of Ceratopogonidae are at present placed in the genus and this is split into many subgenera. Several species are known to be vectors of various diseases and parasites which can affect animals.

[edit] Notable taxa

The systematics and taxonomy of this genus are confused. A large number of species are of unknown relations to those that have been assigned to subgenera already. Furthermore, many subgenera are sometimes elevated to full genus status, or additional genera (such as Paradasyhelea) are included as subgenera herein.

Subgenus Avaritia
- Culicoides brevitarsis - suspected as vector of Akabane and Aino virus
- Culicoides imicola - main vector of bluetongue virus and African Horse Sickness in Southern Europe
- Culicoides chiopterus -
- Culicoides dewulfi -
- Culicoides obsoletus -
- Culicoides scoticus -
Subgenus Beltranmyia
- Culicoides circumscriptus
- Culicoides manchuriensis
- Culicoides salinarius
Subgenus Culicoides
- Culicoides nipponensis
- Culicoides punctata
Subgenus Drymodesmyia
- Culicoides loughnani
Subgenus Haematomyidium
- Culicoides insinuatus
- Culicoides paraensis - vector of Oropouche virus
Subgenus Haemophoructus
- Culicoides gemellus
Subgenus Hoffmania
- Culicoides foxi
- Culicoides fusipalpis
- Culicoides ignacioi
- Culicoides insignis
- Culicoides lutzi
- Culicoides maruim
- Culicoides paramaruim
Subgenus Macfiella
- Culicoides phlebotomus
Subgenus Meijerehelea
- Culicoides guttifer
Subgenus Monoculicoides
- Culicoides deltus
- Culicoides fagineus
- Culicoides grisescens
- Culicoides impunctatus (Highland midge) - vector for Haemoproteus spp.
- Culicoides newsteadi
- Culicoides nubeculosus
- Culicoides pulicaris
- Culicoides punctatus
Subgenus Oecacta
- Culicoides furens transmits Mansonella Ozzardi
Subgenus Remmia
- Culicoides oxystoma
Subgenus Tokunagahelea
- Culicoides pygmaeus
Subgenus Trithecoides
- Culicoides anophelis

Species incertae sedis include:

limai group
- Culicoides limai
fluviatilis group
- Culicoides fluviatilis
- Culicoides leopodoi
reticulatus group
- Culicoides guyanensis
- Culicoides paucienfuscatus
- Culicoides reticulatus

[edit] Taxonomy

Adults are small dark insects about 1-3 mm long. The antennae are long (15 segments) densely haired in the males and less hairy in females. Females only suck blood. The Thorax is hooped and carries a pair of broad mottled wings. Only the first two longitudinal veins are distinct.

Biological habits: Females typically bite at dusk or dawn often in dense swarms and usually in the vicinity of water, marshes or rotting vegetations.

Life Cycle of culicoides: Females lay their eggs on mass in a range of habitats ranging from water vegetations, slow running streams, damp soil or manure heaps. These hatch into tiny smooth white larvae with four pairs of anal gills. Pupae consist of a fused cephalothorax with slender respiratory trumpets and a segmented abdomen. Adults emerge through a straight slit after 3-7 days.

The bite of Culicoides is felt as a sharp prick and is often followed by irritating lumps that may disappear in a few hours or last for days.

[edit] Culicoides as a vector

Different Culicoides species have been shown to be vectors for the following visruses and conditions: Mansonella spp. (M. ozzardi, M. perstans, M. streptocerca), Onchocerca gibsoni and O. cervicalis, Leukocytozoon, Plasmodium agamae, bluetongue virus, African horse sickness, bovine ephemeral fever (C. osystoma and C. nipponesis), Akabane virus and "Queensland itch".

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