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

Abstract

The species of the <i>Culicoides</i> 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 <i>Culicoides</i> 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 <i>Culicoides</i> 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 <i>Culicoides insignis</i>. This was the first formal report of <i>C. insignis</i> being found in Alagoas.