Ceratopogonidae

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Ceratopogonidae
Temporal range: Berriasian–Recent
A female biting midge, Culicoides sonorensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Nematocera
Infraorder: Culicomorpha
Superfamily: Chironomoidea
Family: Ceratopogonidae
Newman, 1834
Subfamilies and tribes[1]

Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally 1–3 millimetres (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species,[2] distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic.

Ceratopogonidae are holometabolous, meaning their development includes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and imago or adult.[3] Most common species in warmer climates will take about two to six weeks to complete a life cycle. Both adult males and females feed on nectar. Most females also feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, to get protein for egg-laying. Their bites are painful, and can cause intensely itchy lesions[4] due to the body producing histamines against the proteins from the midges' saliva.[5][6] Their mouthparts are well-developed for cutting the skin of their hosts. Some species prey on other insects.

Larvae need moisture to develop, but also air and food. They are not strictly aquatic or terrestrial.[4]

Some species within the biting midges are thought to be predatory on other small insects. In particular, mosquito larvae have been investigated as common prey for biting midges in the genus Bezzia. For example, experiments have been conducted on the species Bezzia nobilis that suggest their reliance on mosquito larvae as one source of prey.[7][8] They can also be hematophagous parasites of invertebrates, depending on whether the bloodsucking attack is fatal.[9]

Like other bloodsucking flies, Culicoides species can be vectors of disease-causing pathogens. Among diseases transmitted are the parasitic nematodes Mansonella, bluetongue disease, African horse sickness, epizootic hemorrhagic disease, arboviruses,[10] and nonviral animal pathogens.[11]

Historically, numbers were managed with the insecticide DDT[4] as with Leptoconops torrens populations in California. They can be trapped by luring them with carbon dioxide. Most midges are small enough to pass through ordinary insect window screening. They can be repelled with DEET,[4] oil of Eucalyptus, or Icaridin. Their larvae have also been shown to be susceptible to treatment with commercially available preparations of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis.[12]

  1. ^ Borkent, A.; Dominiak, P. (2020). "Catalog of the biting midges of the world (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 4787 (1): 1–377. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4787.1.1.
  2. ^ Boorman, John (1993). "Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae)". Medical Insects and Arachnids. Springer. pp. 288–309. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-1554-4_7. ISBN 978-94-010-4679-4.
  3. ^ Beckenbach, Andrew T.; Borkent, Art (2003-04-01). "Molecular analysis of the biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 2". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 27 (1): 21–35. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00395-0. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 12679068.
  4. ^ a b c d "common name: biting midges, no-see-ums, scientific name: Culicoides spp. (Insecta: Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)". Featured Creatures. University of Florida. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Af hverju fáum við ofnæmisviðbrögð þegar lúsmý stingur okkur?". Vísindavefurinn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  6. ^ Dhawan, Rakhi; Mohanty, Ajeet Kumar; Kumar, Manish; Dey, Gourav; Advani, Jayshree; Prasad, T. S. Keshava; Kumar, Ashwani (2017-08-01). "Data from salivary gland proteome analysis of female Aedes aegypti Linn". Data in Brief. 13: 274–277. doi:10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.034. ISSN 2352-3409. PMC 5470437.
  7. ^ Hribar, Lawrence J.; Mullen, Gary R. (1991). "Predation by Bezzia larvae (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) on mosquito larvae (Diptera: Culicidae)". Entomological News. 102 (4): 183–186.
  8. ^ Mogi, Motoyoshi (2007). "Insects and other invertebrate predators". Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 23 (2): 93–109. doi:10.2987/8756-971X(2007)23[93:IAOIP]2.0.CO;2.
  9. ^ Marshall, Stephen (2012). Flies: The Natural History and Diversity of Diptera. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd. p. 85. ISBN 9781770851009.
  10. ^ Carpenter, Simon; Groschup, Martin H.; Garros, Claire; Felippe-Bauer, Maria Luiza; Purse, Bethan V. (2013). "Culicoides biting midges, arboviruses and public health in Europe". Antiviral Research. 100 (1): 102–113. doi:10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.07.020. ISSN 0166-3542. PMID 23933421.
  11. ^ Linley, J. R. (1985). "Biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) as vectors of nonviral animal pathogens". Journal of Medical Entomology. 22 (6): 589–599. doi:10.1093/jmedent/22.6.589. ISSN 0022-2585. PMID 3908679.
  12. ^ "World Health Organization" (PDF). WHO.int. World Health Organization. Retrieved 1 April 2020.