Insects (Apr 2021)

<i>Culicoides insignis</i> Lutz, 1913 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Biting Midges in Northeast of Brazil

  • Raisa Rodrigues Santos Rios,
  • Maria Clara Alves Santarém,
  • Karlos Antônio Lisboa Ribeiro Júnior,
  • Breno Araujo de Melo,
  • Sybelle Georgia Mesquita da Silva,
  • Neuriane Cavalcante da Silva,
  • Vitória Regina Viana dos Santos,
  • Jakeline Maria dos Santos,
  • Antônio Euzébio Goulart Santana,
  • Angelina Bossi Fraga

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12040366
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 4
p. 366

Abstract

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The species of the Culicoides genus are hematophagous, and some of them are vectors of important human and animal diseases. This group of insects is distributed worldwide, varying according to local species. Knowledge of the geographic distribution of specific species is crucial for the development and implementation of control strategies. The aim of this work was to investigate the occurrence of Culicoides in the state of Alagoas in northeast Brazil. Midges were captured with CDC light traps, and their identification and morphological analyses were performed by the Ceratopogonidae Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ/CCER) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Morphological analyses were performed using the key to Culicoides from the guttatus group and comparison with other deposited specimens. DNA sequencing, genetic analysis and comparison with sequences in the Genbank database, confirmed the identification of the flies as Culicoides insignis. This was the first formal report of C. insignis being found in Alagoas.

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