title: First record of Culicoides oxystoma Kieffer and diversity of species within the Schultzei group of Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges in Senegal.
abstract: The Schultzei group of Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is distributed throughout Africa to northern Asia and Australasia and includes several potential vector species of livestock pathogens. The taxonomy of the species belonging to this species group is confounded by the wide geographical distribution and morphological variation exhibited by many species. In this work, morphological and molecular approaches were combined to assess the taxonomic validity of the species and morphological variants of the Schultzei group found in Senegal by comparing their genetic diversity with that of specimens from other geographical regions. The species list for Senegal was updated with four species: Culicoides kingi, C. oxystoma, C. enderleini and C. nevilli being recorded. This is the first record of C. oxystoma from Africa south of Sahara, and its genetic relationship with samples from Israel, Japan and Australia is presented. This work provides a basis for ecological studies of the seasonal and spatial dynamics of species of this species group that will contribute to better understanding of the epidemiology of the viruses they transmit.
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: Mame T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Bakhoum
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: Moussa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fall
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: Assane G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Fall
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture, Winnellie, Australia.
authors.forename: Glenn A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bellis
authors.affiliation: Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
authors.affiliation: Parasites, Vectors and Vector-borne Diseases, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Onderstepoort, South Africa ; Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Karien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Labuschagne
authors.affiliation: Parasites, Vectors and Vector-borne Diseases, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Onderstepoort, South Africa ; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa.
authors.forename: Gert J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Venter
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: Mariame
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diop
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: Iba
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mall
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: Momar T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Seck
authors.affiliation: Cirad, UMR15 Contrôle des Maladies; INRA, UMR1309 Contrôle des Maladies, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Allène
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diarra
authors.affiliation: Cirad, UMR15 Contrôle des Maladies; INRA, UMR1309 Contrôle des Maladies, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Laëtitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gardès
authors.affiliation: Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, Laboratoire National de l'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal ; Cirad, UMR15 Contrôle des Maladies; INRA, UMR1309 Contrôle des Maladies, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Jérémy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bouyer
authors.affiliation: Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, Faculté de Médecine, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Delécolle
authors.affiliation: Cirad, UMR15 Contrôle des Maladies; INRA, UMR1309 Contrôle des Maladies, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Balenghien
authors.affiliation: Cirad, UMR15 Contrôle des Maladies; INRA, UMR1309 Contrôle des Maladies, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garros
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D012675:Senegal