# Diversity and abundance of Culicoides on goat and cattle farms in the southern part of the Republic of Korea

## TL;DR

This study explores the diversity and abundance of Culicoides midges on cattle and goat farms in southern South Korea, identifying new species and patterns in their distribution.

## Contribution

The study reports two new Culicoides species records for South Korea and provides insights into species distribution across host types and regions.

## Key findings

- A total of 124,055 Culicoides individuals were collected, including 14 previously recorded and two new species.
- C. arakawae was the dominant species, making up 80.60% of the total collection.
- Species distribution varied by region and host, with new records detected on Jeju Island.

## Abstract

Biting midges of the genus Culicoides Latreille (Ceratopogonidae) pose a significant threat to veterinary health as vectors of over 60 viruses, most of which affect livestock. In this study, we used light traps to sample Culicoides populations on cattle and goat farms from May to October 2023 at 15 sites in Gyeongsangnam-do, Jeollanam-do, and Jeju Island, South Korea. Diversity and abundance were analysed based on the collection date, environmental conditions, and host species. A total of 124,055 individuals were collected, comprising 14 previously recorded and two newly recorded species: C. asiana and C. palawanensis. The dominant species was C. arakawae, which accounted for 80.60% of the total collected individuals, followed by C. punctatus (10.25%), and C. tainanus (3.36%), while the remaining 13 species constituted 5.80% of the collection. Total Culicoides abundance peaked in August (40.15%), driven largely by fluctuations in C. arakawae abundance, but the seasonal abundances of individual species varied. Culicoides arakawae and C. punctatus were dominant on the mainland, while C. matsuzawai, C. lungchiensis, and C. tainanus were dominant on Jeju Island. The dominant species on cattle farms were C. arakawae and C. punctatus, while C. arakawae dominated in collections from goat farms. The detection of two new species records suggests that the fauna of South Korea is still incompletely understood.