New Guam Island Records for Three Species of Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
The family of biting midges, Ceratopogonidae, is very well represented in Guam and the rest of Micronesia. The "Insects of Micronesia" issue on this family (Tokunaga and Murachi 1959)[1] lists 147 species in Micronesia. Fortunately, only a few species have females which bite humans. On Guam, I often see ceratopogonids (probably Forcipomyia sp.) feeding on caterpillars.
Swanson and Reeves (2011)[2] have published records for three ceratopogonids not collected previously on Guam, Culicoides peliliouensis, Dasyhelea carolinensis, and D. dupliforceps. All three occur elsewhere in Micronesia.
Culicoides peliliouensis bites humans and other species in this genus are known vectors of mammalian diseases. Tokunaga and Murachi (1959)[1] wrote: "This species is extremely abundant and troublesome in the Palau Islands. The immature forms are found in the mangrove swamps surrounding the islands. Females bite man severely in the house and field at dusk." According to Swanson and Reeves (2011)[2]: "Biting midges are a pest of humans on Guam's recreational beaches and C. pleleliouensis is the probable species."
References
- , “Diptera: Ceratopogonidae”, Insects of Micronesia, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 103–434, 1959.
- , “New records of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Guam Island, USA”, Check List Journal of Species Lists and Distribution, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 313-314, 2011.