The spatio-temporal distribution patterns of biting midges of the genus Culicoides in Salta Province, Argentina

Abstract

The goal of this survey was to analyze the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of <i>Culicoides Latreille</i> species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and their relationship with environmental variables in Salta, northwestern Argentina. <i>Culicoides</i> were collected monthly from January 2003 through December 2005. The influence of the climatic variables on population abundance was analyzed with a multilevel Poisson regression. A total of 918 specimens belonging to five species were collected. The most abundant species was <i>Culicoides paraensis</i> Goeldi (65.5%), followed by <i>Culicoides lahillei</i> Iches (14.6%) and <i>Culicoides debilipalpis</i> Lutz (7.6%). The highest seasonal abundance for <i>C. paraensis, C. debilipalpis</i> and <i>C. lahillei</i> occurred during the spring and summer. A Poisson regression analysis showed that the mean maximum and minimum temperature and the mean maximum and minimum humidity were the variables with the greatest influence on the population abundance of <i>Culicoides</i> species.