A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON THE BITING ACTIVITIES OF Leptoconops spinosifrons: COMPARING HUMAN LANDING CATCH AND MODIFIED TRAP METHOD FOR COLLECTING BITING MIDGE POPULATIONS AT BAGAN LALANG BEACH, SELANGOR

Abstract

Leptoconops, a nuisance insect belonging to family Ceratopogonidae, mostly found near the beaches in the tropical and sub-tropical regions. In Malaysia, Leptoconops is often found in sandy beaches and its bites can cause irritation, affecting tourism activities. This study aimed to determine the biting cycle of Leptoconops inhabiting Bagan Lalang beach in Selangor. The sampling involved four visits from June to August 2022, during which emerging adults were collected via human landing catches (HLC) and trapped with modified emergence traps for a 24-hour collection period. Temperature and relative humidity were also recorded. The samples were identified following taxonomy key, the results indicated the presence of Leptoconops spinosifrons at the beach. The biting activities of L. spinosifrons occured from dawn to dusk with peak biting of recorded from 0800 h to 0900 h and at 1700 h to 1800 h. Additionally, a total of 20 L. spinosifrons were trapped on the sticky tape in the emergence traps. This study represents the first report on the identification of L. spinosifrons from Bagan Lalang Beach, providing crucial surveillance data represents for this medically important neglected insect associated with outdoor and tourism activities.

Keywords

• leptoconops spinosifrons
• human landing catch
• emergence trap