BITING MIDGES — WIRTH AND BLANTON 249 



Gibson and Ascoli (1952) reported on the anthropophilic Culicoides 

 in the human onchocerciasis zone of Guatemala near San Pedro 

 Yepocapa: C. paraensis was the dominant and most annoying species, 

 biting at any hour and in any weather; castillae fed under the same 

 conditions as paraensis but was rare; neither of these species could 

 ingest microfilariae. C. stigmalis bit frequently between 4:30 and 

 6 p. m. when the sky was partly overcast, but this species was not 

 abundant, and although it could ingest microfilariae, they did not 

 develop. C. diabolicus bit only during or immediately after a light 

 rain, and did not feed as avidly on man as the others; no good test was 

 possible on its ability to ingest and support microfiliariae. No 

 natural filarid infestation was found in 929 wild flies of these four 

 species. 



Woke (1954) at Balboa, Canal Zone, collected /wrens biting man in 

 sunlight and in shade of mangrove trees, under electric lights and also 

 in darkness, from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. He collected guyanensis biting 

 man between 7 and 8 p. m., trinidadensis about man, and wokei flying 

 about man in shade of mangrove trees and in full sunlight between 9 

 and 10 a. m. On Tobago Island he took furens, paraensis, and 

 dehilipalpis biting man, and at Corinto, Nicaragua, he collected 

 jurens and phlebotomus on man. 



Wirth (1955b) reported the following Panama species from the 

 collections of Gibson and Ascoli in Guatemala taken while biting man : 

 paraensis, pachymerus, stigmalis, diabolicus, castillae, and debilipalpis. 

 At the same time Gibson and Ascoli took luteovenus, diabolicus, 

 debilipalpis, and panamensis feeding on horse and mule. 



In the U. S. National Museum collection there are the following 

 unpublished records of Panama species taken on man : barbosai, Balboa, 

 Canal Zone, P. A. Woke, No. 1014a; diabolicus, St. Patrick Estate, 

 Trinidad, 1954-1955, T. H. G. Aitken and W. G. Downs; pusillus, 

 Cumaca, Trinidad, June 16, 1954, Aitken and Downs; and of the 

 following species biting other animals: arubae, Corazal, Canal Zone, 

 May 18, 1914, S. T. Darling, from ear of mule; foxi, Fort Kobbe, 

 Canal Zone, Blanton, horse trap; Piraja, Brazil, Apr. 16, 1929, Davis 

 and Shannon, animal bait; barbosai, Fort Randolph, Canal Zone, 

 Blanton, horse trap. 



In summary, the following species of Panama Culicoides are known 

 to feed on man : barbosai, castillae, debilipalpis, diabolicus, furens, 

 guyanensis, pachymerus, paraensis, phlebotomus, pusillus, reticulatus, 

 and trinidadensis. 



Control Measures 



The control of Culicoides has received little attention in Panama 

 compared with the classic measures used to abate mosquitoes during 

 and since the construction of the Panama Canal. Carpenter (1951) 



