Morphological Keys for the Identification of Tunisian Culicoides Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Abstract

Culicoides biting midges are tiny blood-feeding insects of several diseases with veterinary and public health significance, including Bluetongue in ruminants, African horse sickness in equids and filarial diseases like Onchocercosis and Mansonellosis affecting various species such as humans. Their identification depends basically on the microscope examination of key morphological characters. Consequently, identification keys are important to any non experiment working with these biting midges. The Tunisian fauna of Culicoides biting midges consists of 35 species, whose morphological delineation may be troublesome for non-taxonomists. In response to this situation, and for the first time a key to the adult Culicoides species in Tunisia was prepared.