Among diseases transmitted are the parasitic nematodes Mansonella, bluetongue disease, African horse sickness, epizootic hemorrhagic disease, arboviruses, and nonviral animal pathogens. Like other blood sucking flies, Culicoides species can be vectors of disease-causing pathogens. They can also be hematophagous parasites of invertebrates, depending on whether the bloodsucking attack is fatal. For example, experiments have been conducted on the species Bezzia nobilis that suggest their reliance on mosquito larvae as one source of prey. Particularly mosquito larvae have been investigated as common prey for biting midges in the genus Bezzia. Some species within the biting midges are thought to be predatory on other small insects. They are not strictly aquatic or terrestrial. Larvae need moisture to develop, but also air and food. Their mouthparts are well-developed for cutting the skin of their hosts. Their bites are painful, and can cause intensely itchy lesions. Most females also feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, to get protein for egg-laying. Both adult males and females feed on nectar. Most common species in warmer climates will take about two to six weeks to complete a life cycle. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic.Ĭeratopogonidae are holometabolous, meaning their development includes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and imago or adult. A female biting midge, Culicoides sonorensisĬeratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally 1–3 millimetres ( 1⁄ 16– 1⁄ 8 in) in length.
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