Observations on the swarming habits and aggregation of culicoides schultzei enderlein [Dipteera-Ceratopogonidae] in Egypt

ABSTRACT

Culicoides, like many other Nematocera, often gather in discrete "dancing swarms" [Harwood and James, 1979]. The phenomenon is common and perhaps occurs in very diverse sections of the genus Culicoides, but knowledge of its cause, formation and function is still incomplete, besides it is not clear whether all species make swarms or not. During the course of the present work in the field, large swarms and many aggregations of Culicoides schultzei were observed. It may be pointed out that no previous records seem to have been given on the swarming of this species. Aggregations among biting midges, Culicoides, have never been reported. The following study, though obviously incomplete and in some respects fragmentary, nevertheless leads to a number of interesting generalizations and conclusions: