About Culicoides.NET

Culicoides are a genus of biting midges found around the world. In addition to the nuisance value of species such as the Scottish Highlands midge (Culicoides impunctatus), some species can transmit veterinary diseases such as bluetongue, African horse sickness and Onchocerca cervicalis. The study of Culicoides distribution, activity and taxonomy is therefore of considerable importance for farming and tourism. This was illustrated during the ongoing outbreak of BTV-8 in northern Europe, during which a shortage of entomological knowledge of Culicoides was a significant obstacle.

The Culicoides.NET website aims to collect and update information on Culicoides to help inform policy-makers, stakeholders, the general public and the media. It is maintained by staff at the Institute for Animal Health (IAH), as part of their Vector-borne diseases (VBD) research programme.

The creators of the Culicoides.NET website would particularly like to thank Dr John Boorman for his support and the provision of information on the British Culicoides, without which this project could not have been achieved.

For further information on the site, please contact Culicoides.NET@bbsrc.ac.uk.

Culicoides photograph taken from Wilson, Darpel & Mellor (2008) "Where Does Bluetongue Virus Sleep in the Winter? " PLoS Biology 6(8), e210 [link to full text]

Commercial resources

How to order Culicoides for research or request consultancy

Image library

Photographs and figures of Culicoides and related subjects.