New records of the biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the Yungas, Paranaense rainforest and Chaco Ecoregion of Argentina

Abstract

The genus Culicoides includes 1,322 extant species distributed worldwide, with at least 266 species recorded from the Neotropical Region (Borkent 2012; Borkent & Spinelli 2007). In Argentina, 51 species have been recorded 21 of which were from the northeastern region (Spinelli et al. 2005) and 10 species for the northwestern region of this country (Spinelli & Wirth 1993; Veggiani Aybar et al. 2010). The public health importance of Culicoides species includes painful discomfort and lesions caused by their bites, but also their role as vectors of diseases. Some species transmit filarial nematodes, whereas others vector several economically important viral diseases such as Oropouche, bluetongue, equine encephalitis, epizootic hemorrhagic disease, African horse sickness, Akabane and bovine ephemeral fever (Mellor et al. 2000; Ronderos et al. 2003). We provide new records of several species Culicoides from the northwestern and northeastern regions of Argentina, in Salta, Tucumán and Misiones provinces.