Bluetongue-virus
Guides
Culicoides variipennis
biting midge, no-see-um
Culicoides variipennis is a biting midge in the subgenus Monoculicoides, less than 1 mm in length. The species complex includes multiple subspecies with varying vector competence for livestock viruses. It is a significant vector of Bluetongue virus, African horse sickness virus, Akabane virus, and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus in North America. Subspecies show distinct geographic distributions and morphological differences, particularly in male genitalia and female palpal segments.