Seasonal Abundance of Adult Culicoides Spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in a Salt Marsh in Florida, USA

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Abstract
New Jersey light traps and emergence traps were used to determine species composition and seasonal prevalence of adult biting-midge populations at Yankeetown, Florida, USA. Twenty-one species of Culicoides were collected in light traps. Culicoides mississippiensis (57%) and C.furens (36%) were the prevalent species in these collections. Culicoides barbosai was the next most abundant species. These 3 species and C. floridensis and C. melleus were the only man-biting species collected. Only C. furens (73%) and C. mississippiensis (27%) were collected in the emergence traps. Analysis of the overall distribution of C. mississippiensis by plant cover (based on mean number flies/trap/day) revealed that 58% were in Spartina , 22% in Juncus , and 20% in Distichlis ; for C.furens , 20% were in Spartina , 12% in Juncus , and 68% in Distichlis . Some C. mississippiensis were present throughout the year, but this species was most abundant during the spring from mid-March through May and in the fall from mid-September through November. Most of the C. mississippiensis collected in emergence traps in the spring were from Spartina areas, and in the fall most specimens were from Juncus and Distichlis areas. Culicoides furens was present in light-trap collections from early April through early November. The largest peak usually occurred in September. Most of the specimens collected in emergence traps from June through October were from Distichlis areas.