Culicoides insignis Lutz, 1913 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Biting Midges in Northeast of Brazil

Simple Summary Culicoides genus insects are spread throughout the world, and some species are vectors of important human and animal diseases. Genetic identification, as well as the local occurrence of these insects, are fundamental to the development of risk profiles and entomological surveillance of transmitted diseases. We investigated the Culicoides occurrence in Alagoas State, northeastern Brazil. Midges were captured with light traps, being morphologic and genetic identified. After PCR analysis and GenBank database comparison, it was confirmed that the captured midges belong to Culicoides insignis. This was the first formal report of Culicoides insignis occurrence in Alagoas State, northeastern Brazil. The species of the Culicoides genus are hematophagous, and some of them are vectors of important human and animal diseases. This group of insects is distributed worldwide, varying according to local species. Knowledge of the geographic distribution of specific species is crucial for the development and implementation of control strategies. The aim of this work was to investigate the occurrence of Culicoides in the state of Alagoas in northeast Brazil. Midges were captured with CDC light traps, and their identification and morphological analyses were performed by the Ceratopogonidae Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ/CCER) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Morphological analyses were performed using the key to Culicoides from the guttatus group and comparison with other deposited specimens. DNA sequencing, genetic analysis and comparison with sequences in the Genbank database, confirmed the identification of the flies as Culicoides insignis. This was the first formal report of C. insignis being found in Alagoas.