The Ceratopogonidae, commonly known as biting midges, no-see-ums or punkies, have a bad reputation as being nasty biters that pester humans and domestic animals and, in some instances, transmit harmful diseases. Because of their small size, some species can pass through screen and mesh that keeps other biting pests outside and these can make life insufferable. The biting females can occur in such huge numbers that in some areas people are driven indoors (or complain loudly and then suffer numerous itchy bites!).
However, few people realize that this group of flies provides some important services in ecological systems. Some species are important pollinators of such plants as cacao (without them we wouldn’t enjoy chocolate!) and rubber trees, and the larvae of many are important predators of other organisms in aquatic habitats. The adults of most biting midges actually suck blood from other insects and may even be important vectors (transporters) of viruses that help kill caterpillars.
The biting midges are a diverse group in their habits and there are some intriguing stories associated with the way they obtain their food, mate and the kinds of different habitats they occupy. In the following pages, I provide an outline of why these flies are a fascinating source of information and are worthy of further investigation.
There are various chapters I have written for the Manual of Central American Diptera (2009), the Manual of Afrotropical Diptera (2017) and The Biology of Disease Vectors (2004) give a broad overview of family. These references are in the list of my publications.
Aside from these and other published literature, there are some excellent resources on the web.
The Ceratopogonidae Information Exchange (CIE) appears twice a year on the web, for many decades and is faithfully organized by Steve Murphree. It includes current research, requests for help, a directory to others working on biting midges and the latest publications and more.
A Chaos of Delight by Andy Murray includes a page on the remarkable diversity of Forcipomyia larvae with absolutely stunning photos of the larvae and their modifications, including the secretions they produce from strong bristles on their bodies. Amazing!
The Gnatwork is directed to those working on biting midges, blackflies and sandflies and provides information on various projects. For Ceratopogonidae, these concern themselves with Culicoides, many species of which are of medical and veterinary concern.
Of course, some websites, such as iNaturalist, have many lovely photographs of biting midges that show, at least for adults, how diverse they are. Search for “Ceratopogonidae” to see most of these.