Department of Wetland Ecology, Biological Station of Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.
Applied Zoology and Animal Conservation, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Med Vet Entomol. 2023 Dec;37(4):871-877. doi: 10.1111/mve.12679. Epub 2023 Jul 17.
Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors of pathogens that affect wildlife and livestock. Understanding the composition and distribution of vector species is crucial for implementing control strategies and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. This study provides a morphological and molecular characterisation of Culicoides caucoliberensis, which represents the first record for Spain, increasing the number of Culicoides species in the country to 85. A total of 213 specimens were collected using Onderstepoort-ultraviolet down-draught light traps on a rocky coastline in the Balearic Islands during two sampling periods in 2022. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. caucoliberensis forms a monophyletic cluster within the Maritimus group. Host preferences were determined for the first time and showed propensity to feed on the European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis). The vector role of C. caucoliberensis for haemosporidian transmission remains unclear since molecular detection of Haemosporidians (Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) was negative for all the pools of parous and engorged females analysed. This study emphasises the importance of conducting entomofauna studies in lesser-known Mediterranean islet landscapes and highlights the need for research on vectors within the One Health framework.
致锥蝇（双翅目：蠓科）是影响野生动物和牲畜的病原体的媒介。了解媒介物种的组成和分布对于实施控制策略和防止传染病的传播至关重要。本研究对首次在西班牙发现的 Culicoides caucoliberensis 进行了形态学和分子特征描述，使该国的 Culicoides 物种数量增加到 85 种。在 2022 年的两个采样期间，总共使用 Onderstepoort-紫外线下风诱捕器在巴利阿里群岛的一个多岩石的海岸线上采集了 213 个标本。系统发育分析表明，C. caucoliberensis 在 Maritimus 组内形成一个单系群。首次确定了宿主偏好性，表明该种倾向于以欧洲海鸬鹚（Phalacrocorax aristotelis）为食。由于对所有分析的产卵和吸血雌蚊的蚊池进行分子检测 Haemosporidians（Haemoproteus 和 Plasmodium）均为阴性，因此 C. caucoliberensis 的血液传播媒介作用尚不清楚。本研究强调了在鲜为人知的地中海小岛景观中进行昆虫区系研究的重要性，并强调了在 One Health 框架内对媒介进行研究的必要性。
