Culicoides Scoticus
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''Culicoides'' is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
biting midge Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic. Ceratopogonidae are holomet ...
s in the
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Ceratopogonidae Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic. Ceratopogonidae are holomet ...
. There are over 1000 species in the genus,Connelly, C. R
Biting midges: ''Culicoides'' spp.
Featured Creatures, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida IFAS. August 2013 Edition.
which is divided into many subgenera. Several
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
are known to be vectors of various diseases and
parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...
s which can affect animals. Like ''
Leptoconops ''Leptoconops'' (black gnat) is a midge genus in the family Ceratopogonidae. It has a mostly tropical or subtropical distribution worldwide, but some species occur as far north as Moscow region in Russia and the Yukon Territory in Canada. This ...
'', the genus has a long fossil record, with earliest known fossils being from
Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...
, around 99 million years old.


Notable taxa

The systematics and
taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
of this genus are confused. A large number of species are of unknown relations to those that have been assigned to subgenera already. Furthermore, many subgenera are sometimes elevated to full genus status, or additional genera (such as '' Paradasyhelea'') are included as subgenera herein. A widely cited, periodically updated, subgeneric classification of species of ''Culicoides'' begins with the warning that the traditional approach to classification of species in this genus has led to "
phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
chaos". Some of the specific consequences are mentioned, as well as recommendations for future work. A molecular phylogeny based on 42 species from 3 continents was proposed in 2017. In this work, the authors found that the subgenera ''Monoculicoides'', ''Culicoides'', ''Haematomyidium'', ''Hoffmania'', ''Remmia'' and ''Avaritia'' (including the main vectors of
bluetongue virus Bluetongue disease is a noncontagious, insect-borne, viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently cattle, yaks, goats, buffalo, deer, dromedaries, and antelope. It is caused by ''Bluetongue virus'' (''BTV''). The virus is ...
disease) were monophyletic, whereas the subgenus ''Oecacta'' was paraphyletic. The study validated the subgenus ''Remmia'' (= Schultzei group) as a valid subgenus, outside of the subgenus ''Oecacta''. The authors also considered that in Europe, '' Culicoides obsoletus'', '' Culicoides scoticus'' and '' Culicoides chiopterus'' should be part of the ''Obsoletus'' complex whereas '' Culicoides dewulfi'' should be excluded from this complex. The authors concluded that the current ''Culicoides'' classification needed to be revisited with modern tools. *Subgenus ''Avaritia'' **'' Culicoides brevitarsis'' - suspected as vector of Akabane and Aino virus **''
Culicoides imicola ''Culicoides imicola'' (''Culicoides imicola'' Kieffer, former name ''C. pallidipennis'' Carter) is a species of Ceratopogonidae that transmits the bluetongue virus (BTV) and the African horse sickness virus.E. J. Wittmann, P. S. Mellor, and M. ...
'' - main vector of
bluetongue virus Bluetongue disease is a noncontagious, insect-borne, viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently cattle, yaks, goats, buffalo, deer, dromedaries, and antelope. It is caused by ''Bluetongue virus'' (''BTV''). The virus is ...
and
African Horse Sickness African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly infectious and deadly disease caused by ''African horse sickness virus''. It commonly affects horses, mules, and donkeys. It is caused by a virus of the genus ''Orbivirus'' belonging to the family ''Reov ...
in Southern Europe **'' Culicoides chiopterus'' - **'' Culicoides dewulfi'' - **'' Culicoides obsoletus'' - **'' Culicoides scoticus'' - *Subgenus ''Beltranmyia'' **'' Culicoides circumscriptus'' **'' Culicoides crepuscularis'' **'' Culicoides manchuriensis'' **'' Culicoides salinarius'' *Subgenus ''Culicoides'' **'' Culicoides boyi'' **'' Culicoides delta'' **'' Culicoides fagineus'' **'' Culicoides grisescens'' **'' Culicoides impunctatus'' (
Highland midge The highland midge (scientific name: ''Culicoides impunctatus''; sco, Midgie; gd, Meanbh-chuileag) is a species of small flying insect, found across the Palearctic (throughout the British Isles, Scandinavia, other regions of Northern Europe, Ru ...
) - vector for ''
Haemoproteus ''Haemoproteus'' is a genus of alveolates that are parasitic in birds, reptiles and amphibians. Its name is derived from Greek: ''Haima'', "blood", and ''Proteus'', a sea god who had the power of assuming different shapes. The name ''Haemoprot ...
'' spp. **'' Culicoides kalix'' **'' Culicoides newsteadi'' **'' Culicoides nipponensis'' **'' Culicoides pulicaris'' **'' Culicoides punctatus'' **'' Culicoides selandicus'' *Subgenus ''Drymodesmyia'' **'' Culicoides loughnani'' *Subgenus ''Haematomyidium'' **'' Culicoides insinuatus'' **'' Culicoides paraensis'' - vector of Oropouche virus *Subgenus ''Haemophoructus'' **'' Culicoides gemellus'' *Subgenus ''Hoffmania'' **'' Culicoides foxi'' **'' Culicoides fusipalpis'' **'' Culicoides ignacioi'' **'' Culicoides insignis'' **'' Culicoides lutzi'' **'' Culicoides maruim'' **'' Culicoides paramaruim'' *Subgenus ''Macfiella'' **'' Culicoides phlebotomus'' *Subgenus ''Meijerehelea'' **'' Culicoides guttifer'' *Subgenus ''Monoculicoides'' **'' Culicoides nubeculosus'' **''
Culicoides variipennis ''Culicoides variipennis'' is a long biting midge. It is a part of the subgenus ''Monoculicoides'' and has many subspecies. Found in North America, ''C. variipennis'' transmits Bluetongue virus, African horse sickness virus, akabane virus, and ep ...
'' *Subgenus ''Oecacta'' **'' Culicoides furens'' transmits '' Mansonella ozzardi'' *Subgenus ''Remmia'' **'' Culicoides oxystoma'' *Subgenus ''Tokunagahelea'' **'' Culicoides pygmaeus'' *Subgenus ''Trithecoides'' **'' Culicoides anophelis'' Species ''
incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...
'' include: * ''limai'' group **'' Culicoides limai'' * ''fluviatilis'' group **'' Culicoides fluviatilis'' **'' Culicoides leopodoi'' * ''reticulatus'' group **'' Culicoides guyanensis'' **'' Culicoides paucienfuscatus'' **'' Culicoides reticulatus''


Description

Adults are small dark insects about 1–3 mm long. The antennae are long (15 segments) densely haired in the males and less hairy in females. The
thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...
is hooped and carries a pair of broad mottled wings. Only the first two longitudinal veins are distinct. Midges are morphologically distinct from mosquitoes, lacking a proboscis, limiting their ability to bite through clothing. Both males and females feed on nectar, however only the females take a blood meal, which is needed for the maturation of fertilized eggs. Females typically bite at dusk or dawn often in dense swarms and usually in the vicinity of water, marshes or rotting vegetation.


Life cycle

Females lay their eggs ''en masse'' in a range of habitats ranging from water vegetation, slow running streams, damp soil or on manure heaps. These hatch into tiny smooth white larvae with four pairs of anal gills. Pupae consist of a fused cephalothorax with slender respiratory trumpets and a segmented abdomen. Adults emerge through a straight slit after 3–7 days. Species of ''Culicoides'' feed on a variety of mammal hosts, including humans. The bite of ''Culicoides'' is felt as a sharp prick and is often followed by irritating lumps that may disappear in a few hours or last for days.


''Culicoides'' as a vector

Various ''Culicoides'' species have been shown to be vectors for the following viruses and conditions: ''
Mansonella ''Mansonella'' is a genus of parasitic nematodes. It includes three species that are responsible for the disease mansonelliasis: ''Mansonella ozzardi'', ''M. perstans'', and ''M. streptocerca''. Species There are nine species: * ''Mansonella ba ...
'' spp. ('' M. ozzardi'', '' M. perstans'', '' M. streptocerca''), '' Onchocerca gibsoni'' and '' O. cervicalis'', ''
Leucocytozoon ''Leucocytozoon '' (or ''Leukocytozoon'') is a genus of parasitic alveolates belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa (which also includes the malaria parasites). The species of this genus use either blackflies ('' Simulium'' species) or a biting mi ...
'', '' Plasmodium agamae'',
bluetongue virus Bluetongue disease is a noncontagious, insect-borne, viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently cattle, yaks, goats, buffalo, deer, dromedaries, and antelope. It is caused by ''Bluetongue virus'' (''BTV''). The virus is ...
,
Schmallenberg virus ''Schmallenberg orthobunyavirus'', also called Schmallenberg virus, abbreviated SBV, is a virus that causes congenital malformations and stillbirths in cattle, sheep, goats, and possibly alpaca. It appears to be transmitted by midges (''Culicoi ...
,
African horse sickness African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly infectious and deadly disease caused by ''African horse sickness virus''. It commonly affects horses, mules, and donkeys. It is caused by a virus of the genus ''Orbivirus'' belonging to the family ''Reov ...
, bovine ephemeral fever ('' C. osystoma'' and '' C. nipponesis''),
Akabane virus ''Akabane virus'' is an insect-transmitted virus that causes congenital abnormalities of the central nervous systems in ruminants. The virus is found in Australia, where it is most commonly spread by biting midges of the ''Culicoides'' species. ...
, Queensland itch and
epizootic hemorrhagic disease Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) is a hemorrhagic disease of white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus'') caused by an infection of a virus from the genus ''Orbivirus'' subsequently called ''Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus'' (EHDV). It is ...
. A typical cycle of transmission of a virus by ''Culicoides'' is illustrated in the article Parasitic flies of domestic animals. Three species of ''Culicoides'' are established vectors for three species of Apicomplexan parasites of the genus ''Hepatocystis''.


Bluetongue vectors in Northern Europe

In 2006,
bluetongue virus Bluetongue disease is a noncontagious, insect-borne, viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently cattle, yaks, goats, buffalo, deer, dromedaries, and antelope. It is caused by ''Bluetongue virus'' (''BTV''). The virus is ...
was first recorded in Northern Europe. In 2007 and 2008, there were huge outbreaks, going as far as Norway, but in 2009 the outbreak was smaller. The main vector of the virus in Southern Europe does not live in Northern Europe, so other species have been screened. Species belonging to the ''Culicoides obsoletus'' complex and the ''Culicoides pulicaris'' complex have been found capable of bluetongue transmission.


See also

* List of ''Culicoides'' species


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2324817 Chironomoidea genera Veterinary entomology Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille