Communities of Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) differ between a big game preserve and nearby natural areas in Florida

Culicoides Latreille biting midges are small hematophagous flies that feed on a variety of vertebrate animals. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are a farmed species in the United States that can occur at very high densities on some farms. This elevated density of available hosts may result in greater abundance of midges and greater potential for disease transmission on farms compared to natural ecosystems. This study aimed to investigate whether Culicoides abundance varied between a big game preserve in Gadsden County, Florida, a site bordering the preserve ("Adjacent"), a site 3.5km away ("Moderate"), and a site 13km away ("Distant"). Midges were collected using CDC miniature light traps set at the preserve, adjacent, and moderate sites in 2016 and at all four sites in 2017. Total abundance was greatest at the preserve and second greatest at the adjacent site both years. Average abundance of female Culicoides stellifer was significantly greater on the preserve than at any other site in the study, whereas greatest abundance of Culicoides venustus was found at the adjacent site. Distance from the preserve significantly affected overall average abundance for both species, although pairwise significance varied. Species diversity was lowest on the preserve and highest on the moderate site both years. These data suggest that high densities of animals may increase transmission potential on high fence preserves and in adjacent areas by contributing to high densities of vector species.