Field Evaluation of Light-Emitting Diode as Attractant for Blood-Sucking Midges of the Genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Culicomorpha, Ceratopogonidae) in the Brazilian Savanna

ABSTRACT The role of the light-emitting diode (LED) modified light traps in the attraction of biting midges was evaluated in Northeastern Maranhao, Brazil. The modified traps held a 5 mm high-brightness LED bulb, one in the green (520 nm) and other in the blue (470 nm) region of the visible spectrum. The incandescent bulb was used as control. From a total of 2,764 specimens, the most frequent species were Culicoides lutzi Costa Lima (58.54%), C. paucienfuscatus Barbosa (27.30%), C. duartei Tavares and Luna Dias (4.74%) and C. insignis Lutz (4.63%). The green light source accounted for 53.87% of the sampled individuals, followed by incandescent (34.95%) and blue lights (11.18%), but these differences were not statistically significant. The differences found among the species' responses demonstrate that variances in species-specific LED attractiveness exist and the results must be individually evaluated. Even without statistical differences, it is suggested to use LEDs as an alternative for the Culicoides c...