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A POPULATION STUDY OF CULICOIDES OBSOLETUS MEIGEN (DIPTERA: CERATOPOGONIDAE), AND OTHER CULICOIDES SPECIES IN THE FRASER VALLEY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

G.S. Anderson ,
P. Belton  and
E.M. Belton
G.S. Anderson
Affiliation:
Centre for Pest Management, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
P. Belton
Affiliation:
Centre for Pest Management, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
E.M. Belton
Affiliation:
Centre for Pest Management, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
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Abstract

A seasonal light-trapping study of Culicoides species, in particular C. obsoletus Meigen, was conducted in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia to determine seasonal peaks and first and last appearance of these insects. Culicoides obsoletus is the causal agent of Culicoides Hypersensitivity (CH), an allergic dermatitis in horses, in British Columbia. Trapping at two sites in 1987 showed that C. obsoletus was first trapped in late March, and peaked in early May and again in late June. Small numbers were collected into mid-November. This coincided with the appearance and regression of clinical signs associated with CH in horses in the area. Stabling horses during the peak activity of Culicoides spp. has been recommended to prevent the development of CH. Light-trapping Culicoides both inside and outside stables showed that although fewer insects were caught inside, some (6%) were trapped indoors. A horse kept in an unscreened stable will not be protected from being bitten.

Résumé

L’installation de pièges lumineux dans la vallée du Fraser, Colombie-Britannique, a permis d’étudier l’abondance saisonnière des espèces de Culicoides, en particulier de C. obsoletus Meigen, et de déterminer les périodes de densité maximale, de même que la première et la dernière apparitions de ces insectes. Culicoides obsoletus est l’agent de transmission de l’hypersensibilité à Culicoides (CH), une dermatite de nature allergique rencontrée chez les chevaux de Colombie-Britannique. La piégeage en deux endroits en 1987 a révélé que les premiers C. obsoletus sont apparus à la fin de mars, qu’ils ont atteint une densité maximale au début de mai et de nouveau à la fin de juin. De petits nombres ont été récoltés jusqu’à la mi-novembre. Ces périodes d’abondance coïncidaient avec l’apparition et la régression des symptomes cliniques associés à la dermatite CH chez les chevaux de cette région. La stabulation des chevaux a été recommandée comme moyen de prévention de la maladie. L’installation de pièges lumineux à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur des étables a permis de constater que, bien que moins nombreux à l’intérieur, certains insectes (6%) ont quand même été capturés dans les étables. Un cheval gardé dans une étable non protégée par des moustiquaires n’est donc pas à l’abri des morsures.

[Traduit par la rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 125 , Issue 3 , June 1993 , pp. 439 - 447
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1993

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