Seasonal Emergence of Culicoides furens (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) at Vero Beach, Florida

Abstract

The seasonal emergence of Culicoides furens (Poey) has been studied for about 15 months. Three presently important habitats of this species, namely tidal ditches, brackish pools, and impoundments, were observed for comparison. The pattern of emergence from impoundments differed from the other 2 habitats in that relatively few adults were produced early in the year with the onset of warmer weather (March to June), but the rate of emergence continued at a higher level into the beginning of the “winter” months and was generally higher throughout the cold period (September to March). Tidal ditches and brackish pools yielded most adults early in the year, with numbers generally diminishing through the summer and falling sharply to a low level throughout the cold period. The emergence patterns are interpreted in terms of the number of generations completed annually and in light of other data concerning seasonal size change and potential for autogenous development of eggs. Data obtained concurrently with the main study indicated that light traps may provide incomplete information about the seasonal emergence of C. furens .