Ceratopogonidae Newman, 1834

Andrea Tóthová¹ & Jan Knoz²

¹Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic; tothova@sci.muni.cz

²Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic

Adults of Ceratopogonidae are minute to small nematocerous flies with a body length of 1 to 5 mm. The body colour is brownish to blackish, usually with some yellow markings. Head with large compound eyes and antenna, with a scape, pedicel and usually thirteen flagellomeres. The distribution of antennal sensillae is important for species identification of females of Culicoides. Females usually with mouthparts adapted for piercing and sucking, the mouthparts weaker and much reduced in the male. Palps usually with five segments, with a sensory pit on third segment (enlarged in some species). Mesonotum occasionally with a pair of prescutal pits. Wing bare or covered with macrotrichia, ususally with two radial cells but the first or second or both reduced or absent in some groups; in others, the wing membrane may be patterned, particularly in Culicoides. Legs of males usually with small equal claws, and females with enlarged or unequal claws, and some species with femoral spines (e.g. Mallochohelea, Bezzia, Nilobezzia and Serromyia). Abdomen with ten segments; females with one to three variously shaped spermathecae.

The eggs of Ceratopogonidae are ovoid to elongated or of various shapes, whitish when first laid but rapidly darkening to brown or black. The larvae are terrestrial or semi-aquatic and have a hypo- or prognathous head; the body may have a complex system of setae set on tubercles, and the prothorax has a bilobed anterior proleg; in some species (subfamilies Dasyheleinae and Farcipomyiinae), however, the body may be smooth and elongated, without an anterior proleg or other appendages (subfamily Ceratopogoninae).

Adults of Culicoides and of the subgenus Lasiohelea (genus Forcipomyia) are haematophagous, but many of the other genera include insectivorous species.

The family Ceratopogonidae contains 5476 species worldwide (Borkent & Wirth 1997). Altogether 588 species are known to occur in Europe (Szadziewski & Borkent 2004), 192 of which have been recorded in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Országh et al. 1997). Since the last version of the checklist the number of species in the Czech Republic has increased by 38, whilst 4 species have been added as new for Bohemia and 5 species for Moravia (Knoz et al. 2004, Tóthová et al. 2004a, b, 2006). The taxonomic status of 14 taxa has been corrected (Grogan & Wirth 1979, Tóthová & Knoz 2006, Wirth & Grogan 1988). The current nomenclature is used and a review of nomenclatural changes is included (Borkent 2006, Borkent & Wirth 1997, Grogan & Wirth 1979, Szadziewski & Knoz 2002). The genera Neurohelea Kieffer, 1925 (Heteromyiini),  Nilobezzia Kieffer, 1921(Sphaeromyiini)  and the subgenera Lepidohelea Kieffer, 1917 and Panhelea Remm, 1980 were recorded for the first time from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The new list includes 195 species of the family Ceratopogonidae for the Czech Republic and 133 for Slovakia. The nomenclature used in this checklist is that of the Fauna Europaea (Szadziewski & Borkent 2004).

For financial support, the Ministry of Education and the Masaryk University (grant No. MSM 0021622416) are acknowledged.

References

[1] Borkent A. 2006: World species of biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae). On-line version: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cee/FLYTREE/ CeratopogonidaeCatalog.pdf.

[2] Borkent A. & Wirth W.W. 1997: World species of biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 233: 1-257.

[3] Grogan W.L. & Wirth W.W. 1979: The North American predaceous midges of the genus Palpomyia Meigen (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 8: 1-125.

[4] Knoz J., Olejníček J. & Gelbič I. 2004: [Bitting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) in the late domestic refuse dump Švábův Hrádek near České Budějovice]. Acta Musei Bohemiae meridionali in České Budějovice 44: 83-86. (In Czech).

[5] Országh I., Knoz J. & Chalupský J. 1997: Ceratopogonidae. In Chvála M. (ed.): Check-list of Diptera (Insecta) of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Karolinum – Charles University Press, Prague, pp. 39-42.

[6] Remm H. 1988: Ceratopogonidae. In Sóos A. & Papp L (eds): Catalogue of Palearctic Diptera. Vol. 3. Akadémia. Budapest, pp. 11-110.

[7] Szadziewski R. & Borkent A. 2004: Fauna Europaea: Ceratopogonidae. In Jong H. de (ed.): Fauna Europaea: Diptera, Nematocera. Fauna Europaea version 1.2, http://www.faunaeur.org.

[8] Szadziewski R. & Knoz J. 2002: New synonyms of European biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae). Annales Zoologici 52: 249-251.

[9] Tóthová A., Barták M. & Knoz J. 2004a: Ceratopogonidae of the Bílina and Duchcov Environs. In Kubík Š. & Barták M. (eds): Dipterologica bohemoslovaca 11. Folia Facultatis Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 109: 305-314.

[10] Tóthová A., Barták M. & Knoz J. 2004b: Ceratopogonidae of Southern Moravia (NP Podyjí). In Bitušík P. (ed.): Dipterologica bohemoslovaca 12. Acta Facultatis Ecologiae 12/Suppl. 1: 143-148.

[11] Tóthová A. & Knoz J. 2006: A revised check-list of the biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Studia dipterologica 13: 103-114.

[12] Tóthová A., Knoz J., Országh I. & Barták M. 2005. Genus Culicoides (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) collected by non-light traps in South Moravia. Studia dipterologica 12: 49-55.

[13] Wirth W.W. & Grogan W.L. 1988: The predaceous midges of the world (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, tribe Ceratopogonini). Flora and Fauna Handbook 4. Brill, New York, 175pp.