MONITORING OF CULICOIDES SPP. AT A SITE ENZOOTIC FOR HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE IN WHITE-TAILED DEER IN GEORGIA, USA

Biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) were monitored at a Georgia (USA) site where epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and bluetongue (BT) viruses are enzootic among white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Collections were made using a captive white-tailed deer and light traps from June 1993 through November 1994. We collected 210,482 females from the captive deer during morning and evening periods. Predominant species were C. lahillei (73%), C. stellifer (16%), C. biguttatus (6%), C. niger (3%), C. spinosus (2%), and C. paraensis (0.2%). Other species were C. venustus, C. obsoletus/sanguisuga, C. haematopotus, C. guttipennis, and C. arboricola, which together represented <0.1% of the specimens collected. No C. variipennis, a known vector of EHD and BT viruses, were collected from the deer. An estimated 953,299 females were collected in 695 light-trap nights. The most common species in light-trap collections were C. spinosus (45%), C. biguttatus (27%) and C. stellifer (24%)....