Biting midges monitoring (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae: Culicoides Latreille) in the governate of Monastir (Tunisia): species composition and molecular investigations.

The results of entomological studies carried out in the governate of Monastir (Tunisia) in 2009-2010 (captures and emergences from muds) focusing on Culicoides species are presented in the present study. Identification of Culicoides at the species level is based on morphological characters, and a molecular study has been carried out based on mitochondrial DNA cytochrome C oxidase I gene (COI) and D1 and D2 domains of the 28S rDNA. The DNA sequences reported here are related to 10 species (on 25 known) of Culicoides described in Tunisia: Culicoides cataneii-gejgelensis, Culicoides circumscriptus, Culicoides imicola, Culicoides jumineri, Culicoides kingi, Culicoides langeroni, Culicoides newsteadi, Culicoides paolae, Culicoides puncticollis and Culicoides sahariensis. DNA sequencing of the COI gene and D1D2 domains discriminated all morphologically determined species. The choice of D1D2 domains considered as a conserved region is informative for Culicoides species identification. The molecular analyses of COI has grouped both C. circumscriptus, C. puncticollis within two clusters and C. newsteadi within five subclusters. However, C. newsteadi shows relatively deep intraspecific divergence using COI sequences.