Culicoides (Avaritia) pusillus Lutz, 1913

William L. Grogan, Jr., Spinelli, Ronderos, María M. & Carla, 2013, The biting and predaceous midges of Guadeloupe Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). I. Species of the subfamily Ceratopogoninae, Insecta Mundi 2013 (324), pp. 1-21 : 3

Culicoides (Avaritia) pusillus Lutz

Culicoides pusillus Lutz, 1913: 52 ( Brazil).

Culicoides (Avaritia) pusillus: Fox 1955: 218 (in list of New World species assigned to subgenus Avaritia ); Wirth 1974: 21 (in New World catalog south of the USA; distribution); Wirth and Blanton 1974: 31 (in West Indian Culicoides ; figs.); Blanton and Wirth 1979: 140 (in review of Culicoides of Florida); Wirth et al. 1988: 14 (in Neotropical Wing Atlas); Wirth and Mullens 1992: 1006 (in review of the C. pusillus group; wing photo; in key); Borkent and Spinelli 2000: 28 (in New World catalog south of the USA; distribution); Borkent and Spinelli 2007: 63 (in Neotropical catalog; distribution).

Discussion. This primarily Neotropical species ranges from Florida, USA and Mexico south to Brazil and northeastern Argentina ( Borkent and Spinelli 2000, 2007). Culicoides pusillus is considered to be one of three possible Neotropical species that are capable of vectoring bluetongue to domestic and wild ruminants ( Sáenz and Greiner 1994; Borkent 2005). Wirth and Blanton (1974) provided records in the Caribbean region from Antigua, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and St. Lucia. We provide the first records of C. pusillus from Guadeloupe.

New records. Guadeloupe , Basse Terre, Bois Malher, 9-IX-2010, MC Thomas & RH Turnbow, Blacklight trap, 2 males, 4 females ; same data except Pigeon , 9-IX-2010, 4 males, 6 females ; same data except NE Pigeon (16.4404° N 61.74977° W), 23-V-2012, R. H. Turnbow, BL trap, 2 females, 2 males ; same data except La Trace du Petit-Malendure, 21-V-2012, R. H. Turnbow, BL trap, 1 male. New Guadeloupe record .