Seasonal activity of Culicoides bahrainensis Boorman, 1989 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Saud Arabia

Very little information is available on Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) fauna of Saudi Arabia. During the period March 2004–February 2006, a country-wide survey was conducted to study the distribution of Culicoides or biting midges in Saudi Arabia using light traps. During the study, 2308 specimens of Culicoides bahrainensis Boorman, 1989 were collected for the first time in Saudi Arabia from Al Hassa and Al Dammam on the Arabian Gulf, and from Jeddaha on the Red Sea. This distribution suggests that C. bahrainensis requires high humidity for its survival and development. This observation was further supported by the positive significant correlation between the number of Culicoides collected and the relative humidity. The seasonal activity of C. bahrainensis showed two seasonal peaks, a higher peak in April and a lower peak in November where the temperature varied between 22.4 and 29.3 °C and the relative humidity varied between 34% and 66%. No Culicoides was collected during the period July–August where the temperature varied between 33 and 38 °C and the relative humidity varied between 24% and 54%.