Culicoides Latreille (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) of Colombia: records from the collection of insects of medical importance from National Institute of Health

Abstract

The collection of insects of medical importance from the Instituto Nacional de Salud, INS (Bogotá, Colombia: https://www.ins.gov.co/Paginas/Inicio.aspx), was started in 1934 with the aim of being an institutional and national repository of the biodiversity of insects involved in vector-borne diseases of importance in public health. Today, the entomological collection includes more than 7,500 specimens. The ceratopogonid insects are one group of Diptera that are represented in this collection. Within the Ceratopogonidae, the genus Culicoides Latreille, 1809 is relevant in public health because of the nuisance caused by their bites when they are presented in great abundance and because of their role as vectors of several agents (virus, protozoa and nematodes) that cause diseases to humans and to animals (Mellor et al. 2000, Mullen 2002). An overview of the Ceratopogonidae, represented in this collection, is presented here. A total of 801 individuals, mainly adults of the genus Culicoides (90%) are represented. The collection is the result of the effort of several researchers of the Group of Entomology at INS. These researchers collected ceratopogonids when they went to different transmission scenarios of vector-borne diseases in Colombia, with the purpose of making entomological characterisations including the processing, assembly and identification of the specimens in the laboratory. New information about the geographical distribution of 39 species of the genus Culicoides in Colombia. All data have been uploaded to GBIF and are publicly available there.