A review of species diversity and distribution of Culicoides Latreille, 1809 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Turkey

This paper reviews the species composition and distribution of Culicoides biting midges in Turkey for the first time. The Culicoides fauna of Turkey is diverse, with 57 reported species collected in 54 localities across the Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean, and Central, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolian Regions of Turkey. No records are available for the Black Sea Region. The most widespread species include Culicoides cataneii Clastrier, C. circumscriptus Kieffer, C. festivipennis Kieffer, C. gejgelensis Dzhafarov, C. longipennis Khalaf, C. maritimus Kieffer, C. nubeculosus (Meigen), C. obsoletus (Meigen), C. odiatus Austen, C. pulicaris (Linnaeus), C. puncticollis (Becker), C. saevus Kieffer, and C. shaklawensis Khalaf, whereas C. denisoni Boorman, C. dewulfi Goetghebuer, C. fagineus Edwards, C. minutissmus (Zetterstedt), C. montanus Schakirzjanova, C. semimaculatus Clastrier, C. slovacus Orszagh, and C. turanicus Gutsevich and Smatov are represented from only one locality. Only single specimens represent the country records of C. dewulfi and C. seifadinei. The potential of Turkish Culicoides in zoonotic arbovirus, protozoa, and nematode transmission is discussed.