Analysis of Brazilian Ceratopogonidae (Diptera: Culicomorpha) species diversity and knowledge assessment

Abstract

ABSTRACT An updated list of the biting midges recorded from the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District is provided based on the data available in the “Taxonomic Catalog of the Brazilian Fauna” (Portuguese CTFB). The Brazilian Ceratopogonidae fauna is represented by 529 known species, corresponding to 40% of the Neotropical fauna. A table showing the number of species of Ceratopogonidae genera in the Neotropical region, Brazil, and Brazilian Amazon is included. In accordance with the family knowledge worldwide, the subfamily Ceratopogoninae is the best represented in the number of species due to the study of Culicoides, which has sanitary importance. The analysis of the diversity in each region and in the Brazilian states indicates the need for further studies in the five Brazilian geopolitical regions, especially in the Midwest and Northeast, which are home to the natural biomes of Cerrado, Pantanal, and Caatinga.

Keywords

• Biting midges
• Brazil
• distribution
• taxonomy