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Issue: Vol. 1122 No. 1: 2 Feb. 2006
Type: Articles
Published: 2006-02-02
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1122.1.3
Page range: 47–55
Abstract views: 42
PDF downloaded: 4

A new synonym of the biting midge, Culicoides bottimeri Wirth, with a redescription, new distribution records and seasonal activity data (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Moab Mosquito Abatement District, Box 142, Moab, UT, USA
Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
Diptera Ceratopogonidae Culicoides bottimeri C. multidentatus biting midge new synonymy United States

Abstract

We provide evidence that the North American biting midge, Culicoides multidentatus Atchley & Wirth, is a junior objective synonym of C. bottimeri Wirth (new synonym). A detailed comparison of paratypes of both species with recently collected specimens from California and Utah revealed that only one species is represented in the southwestern United States. Also provided are redescriptions, illustrations, and photographs of key characters of both sexes of C. bottimeri, as well as new distribution records from California and Utah (new state record), and seasonal activity data from Utah.

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