SHORT COMMUNICATION
Culicoides vectors of bluetongue and African horse sickness viruses in Mauritius J
B 00 R M A N and P .
s.
M ELLOR *
6 Beckingham Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2 6BN, and Entomology Group, Institute for Animal Health. Pirbright Laboratory, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking, Surrcy GU24 ONF, U.K. I
Key words. Czificoitles, bluetongue, African horse sickness, Mauritius, Afrotropical region, Diptera. Ceratopogonidae. I n 1900. three collections o f C'u1icoitie.c biting midges from Mauritius were submitted for identification by Dr Mark Philpott, of Avoncroft Cattle Breeders Ltd. These collections had been made by light trap during August 1990 in thc vicinity o f cattle from three localities (one trapnight from each): Mon Loisir (20"02'S, 57'37'E). Palmar (20"17'S, 57"X'E) and Medine (20"16'S, 5772'E). The trap used was a I'irbright type, miniature light trap consisting of a fan driven by a 12 V motor and using a 12 \'. 21 W car head-lamp bulb as the light source. Power for the trap was from the mains supply, via a 12 V transformer and rectifier unit. Insects attracted t o the light were blown into a collecting jar containing water with a little detergent, and were p r e s r v e d in 1-2% formalin. This type of trap has been used by us in Europe, the Middle East. Africa and Asia. and is known to be efficient in trapping Cidicoiduc midges for both general surveys and for virus isolation studies. Samples from cach locality were slide-mounted and identified a\ follows: Palmar, four male and twenty-three female ('iilicoiiic~.\inzicola Kieffer; Mon Loisir, one male and thirty-four female C'.hrei,irrtrsis Kieffer; Medine. one male and one female of each o f C.iniic~~lu and C.brc.r i f u ~ wThe . collection from Pafmar contained over 2O(K) C'rclicwidrv. all o f the one species. I n addition to the C'ir1~oidc.s.cach collection also contained small numbers o f Dusvhdcu species. 'The specimens of ('.iniicolu were identical to the redescription given by Meiswinkel (1Y8Y), and showed the typiciil pre-marginal excision of the dark border to wing vein m2. The midges from Mon Loisir had the dark border to vein m2 complete, narrowing to the wing margin as in c'.hc/lr!irm Meiswinkel: however. the inner margin of the trrnmtnal pale spot in cell rS was rounded or angled, not &lique. These specimens therefore correspond most closrlv to f'.hrrr.itur.ris iis figured by Wirth &L Hubert ( 19x9 I . ('cclrcoidtr,s holitiizo\ is regarded as being the African morpholopical iincl ecolo_eical equivalent of C. hreiirursi.c. ( ~ i d m i i d e irnicvlu ~ has previously been reported In this geographical area from Madagascar, Reunion and
Mauritius. Its global range extends from Laos in the east to the Cape Verde Islands in the west. Culicoides bre\~irursis ranges from Ncw Guinea and the Ryukyu Islands in the east, westwards as far as India (Wirth & Hubert, 1989) but it has not previously been rccorded as far west as Mauritius. Neither species seems to have been reported from the Seychelles or Amirantes Islands, or from Aldabra, but only limited C'ulicoides collecting has been undertaken in these areas. In view of the importance o f these species in relation to the transmission of diseases of livestock detailed collccting should now be carried out in these areas. The larval habitats of the two species differ. C.imicola prefers to breed in dung-enriched mud, preferably with a shortish grass cover (for example, leaks in irrigation pipes, muddy streams or pond edges) while C.brevitursi.r (and also C. ho/i/iizo.r)breeds in fresh cattle o r buffalo dung. The larval habitats of these species in Mauritius are unknown but are of obvious importance. This aspect of Cirlicoides biology should receive special attention in any further study on this and any other islands. Ciilicoides irnicolu is an important vector of bluetongue, African horse sickness and Akabane viruses in southwestern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Cttficoidrs hrei?rursis is a known or suspected vector of Aino, Akabane, bluetongue, D'Aguilar, ephemeral fever and Ngaingan viruses in Australia. The existence of these two species in Mauritius poses an obvious threat to livestock should any of these viruses reach the island or its neighbours either in the form of viraemic livestock or wind-borne infected vectors.
References Meiswinkel. R. (1989) Afrotropical Culicoides: a rcdescription of c'. (Awritia)micolrr Kieffer, 1913 (Diptcra: Ccratopoponidae) with description of the closely allied C'. (A.) h / i / i m > sp.nov. reared from the dung of the African buffalo. blue wildcbecst and cattle in South Africa. Oirdersiepoori Journal of Vc~!erinury Kesecrrch. 56. 23-39. Wirth. W.W. & Hubcrt. A.A. (1989) C'ulicoides o f Southcast Asia. .lfernorr.s of 1 / 7 4 American Erzto/no/ogicril Iristirute, 44. 5OXpp. Accepted 2 April 1992
Culicoides vectors of bluetongue and African horse sickness viruses in Mauritius J
B 00 R M A N and P .
s.
M ELLOR *
6 Beckingham Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2 6BN, and Entomology Group, Institute for Animal Health. Pirbright Laboratory, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking, Surrcy GU24 ONF, U.K. I
Key words. Czificoitles, bluetongue, African horse sickness, Mauritius, Afrotropical region, Diptera. Ceratopogonidae. I n 1900. three collections o f C'u1icoitie.c biting midges from Mauritius were submitted for identification by Dr Mark Philpott, of Avoncroft Cattle Breeders Ltd. These collections had been made by light trap during August 1990 in thc vicinity o f cattle from three localities (one trapnight from each): Mon Loisir (20"02'S, 57'37'E). Palmar (20"17'S, 57"X'E) and Medine (20"16'S, 5772'E). The trap used was a I'irbright type, miniature light trap consisting of a fan driven by a 12 V motor and using a 12 \'. 21 W car head-lamp bulb as the light source. Power for the trap was from the mains supply, via a 12 V transformer and rectifier unit. Insects attracted t o the light were blown into a collecting jar containing water with a little detergent, and were p r e s r v e d in 1-2% formalin. This type of trap has been used by us in Europe, the Middle East. Africa and Asia. and is known to be efficient in trapping Cidicoiduc midges for both general surveys and for virus isolation studies. Samples from cach locality were slide-mounted and identified a\ follows: Palmar, four male and twenty-three female ('iilicoiiic~.\inzicola Kieffer; Mon Loisir, one male and thirty-four female C'.hrei,irrtrsis Kieffer; Medine. one male and one female of each o f C.iniic~~lu and C.brc.r i f u ~ wThe . collection from Pafmar contained over 2O(K) C'rclicwidrv. all o f the one species. I n addition to the C'ir1~oidc.s.cach collection also contained small numbers o f Dusvhdcu species. 'The specimens of ('.iniicolu were identical to the redescription given by Meiswinkel (1Y8Y), and showed the typiciil pre-marginal excision of the dark border to wing vein m2. The midges from Mon Loisir had the dark border to vein m2 complete, narrowing to the wing margin as in c'.hc/lr!irm Meiswinkel: however. the inner margin of the trrnmtnal pale spot in cell rS was rounded or angled, not &lique. These specimens therefore correspond most closrlv to f'.hrrr.itur.ris iis figured by Wirth &L Hubert ( 19x9 I . ('cclrcoidtr,s holitiizo\ is regarded as being the African morpholopical iincl ecolo_eical equivalent of C. hreiirursi.c. ( ~ i d m i i d e irnicvlu ~ has previously been reported In this geographical area from Madagascar, Reunion and
Mauritius. Its global range extends from Laos in the east to the Cape Verde Islands in the west. Culicoides bre\~irursis ranges from Ncw Guinea and the Ryukyu Islands in the east, westwards as far as India (Wirth & Hubert, 1989) but it has not previously been rccorded as far west as Mauritius. Neither species seems to have been reported from the Seychelles or Amirantes Islands, or from Aldabra, but only limited C'ulicoides collecting has been undertaken in these areas. In view of the importance o f these species in relation to the transmission of diseases of livestock detailed collccting should now be carried out in these areas. The larval habitats of the two species differ. C.imicola prefers to breed in dung-enriched mud, preferably with a shortish grass cover (for example, leaks in irrigation pipes, muddy streams or pond edges) while C.brevitursi.r (and also C. ho/i/iizo.r)breeds in fresh cattle o r buffalo dung. The larval habitats of these species in Mauritius are unknown but are of obvious importance. This aspect of Cirlicoides biology should receive special attention in any further study on this and any other islands. Ciilicoides irnicolu is an important vector of bluetongue, African horse sickness and Akabane viruses in southwestern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Cttficoidrs hrei?rursis is a known or suspected vector of Aino, Akabane, bluetongue, D'Aguilar, ephemeral fever and Ngaingan viruses in Australia. The existence of these two species in Mauritius poses an obvious threat to livestock should any of these viruses reach the island or its neighbours either in the form of viraemic livestock or wind-borne infected vectors.
References Meiswinkel. R. (1989) Afrotropical Culicoides: a rcdescription of c'. (Awritia)micolrr Kieffer, 1913 (Diptcra: Ccratopoponidae) with description of the closely allied C'. (A.) h / i / i m > sp.nov. reared from the dung of the African buffalo. blue wildcbecst and cattle in South Africa. Oirdersiepoori Journal of Vc~!erinury Kesecrrch. 56. 23-39. Wirth. W.W. & Hubcrt. A.A. (1989) C'ulicoides o f Southcast Asia. .lfernorr.s of 1 / 7 4 American Erzto/no/ogicril Iristirute, 44. 5OXpp. Accepted 2 April 1992
