Host preferences of ornithophilic biting midges of the genus Culicoides in the Eastern Balkans

Many biting midges of the genus Culicoides L atreille, 1809 ( D iptera: C eratopogonidae) are competent vectors of a diverse number of pathogens. The identification of their feeding behaviour and of vector–host associations is essential for understanding their transmission capacity. By applying two different nested polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) assays, of which one targeted the avian cyt b gene and the other targeted the COI gene of a wide range of vertebrates, we identified the blood hosts of six biting midge species including Culicoides circumscriptus , Culicoides festivipennis , Culicoides punctatus , Culicoides pictipennis , Culicoides alazanicus and Culicoides cf. griseidorsum , the latter two of which are reported in B ulgaria for the first time. Bird DNA was found in 50.6% of 95 investigated bloodmeals, whereas mammalian DNA was identified in 13.7%. Two Culicoides species were found to feed on both birds and mammals. There was remarkable diversity in the range of avian hosts: 23 species from four orders were identified in the abdomens of four Culicoides species. The most common bird species identified was the magpie, Pica pica ( n  = 7), which was registered in all four ornithophilic biting midge species. Six bloodmeals from the great tit, Parus major , were recorded only in C. alazanicus . None of the studied species of Culicoides appeared to be restricted to a single avian host.