Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are globally distributed hematophagous flies. They transmit arboviruses to wild and domestic ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, and white-tailed deer. Despite their importance in pathogen transmission, most work characterizing diversity and distribution in the United States has focused on the western United States and Florida. This study aimed to determine Culicoides species composition and distribution across Arkansas over a 3-yr trapping period (2022 to 2024). Culicoides were collected from the seven ecoregions within Arkansas at agricultural and natural areas. CDC-UV miniature light traps were set in May, July, and August/September/October for 5 consecutive nights at each study site. In total, 9,510 midges were collected, representing 15 species. The Ozark Highlands/Boston Mountains ecoregion had the highest abundance of Culicoides, and the collection was primarily composed of Culicoides biguttatus (Coquillett). The Arkansas Valley ecoregion was the most diverse, and the community composition between the agricultural and natural sites was similar. Parous females were tested for bluetongue virus and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus using qRT-PCR; however, no positive pools were found. This study represents the first attempt to comprehensively describe the diversity of Culicoides in Arkansas. Future work should aim to continue collecting Culicoides across the state and testing them for pathogens.
Steele et al. (Mon,) studied this question.