Mirzayeva A.G.1, Potapova N.K. 2 2024. [Peculiarities of population dynamics of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in natural areas of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia] // Euroasian Entomological Journal. Vol.23. No.4: 179–188 [in Russian, with English summary].
1 Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Frunze Str. 11, Novosibirsk 630091 Russia. E-mail: agny01@mail.ru
2 Institute of Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, Lenina Ave. 41, Yakutsk 667980 Russia. E-mail: nkpotapova@gmail.com
doi 10.15298/euroasentj.23.04.01
ABSTRACT. The paper provides data on the number and seasonal dynamics of blood-sucking dipterans of the family Сeratopogonidae recorded in six regions of Yakutia, namely: North-Western and North-Eastern regions, the subzone of the northern taiga, Western, Central, South-Western and Southern, the subzone of the middle taiga. In the North-Western region 9 species of biting midges noted in the attack, cold-loving species prevailed, eurybionts, Сulicoides pulicaris Linnaeus, 1758 (77.8 %) and C. fascipennis Staeger, 1839 (20.3 %), C. punctatus Meigen, 1804 (1.6 %) and C. grisescens Edwards, 1939 (0.4 %) were few in number. On average, up to 405 individuals were caught on the bell-trap, the maximum reaching 4122 individuals. In the North-East, 4 species have been identified in the Kolyma lowland (Argahty), of which the eudominant is C. pulicaris Linnaeus (94.8 %); the other species, C. fascipennis Staeger (5 %), C. grisescens Edwards (0.2 %) and C. anadyriensis Mirzaeva, 1984 (0.2 %) are represented in low numbers. The number of attackers per person under the bell-trap was no higher than 126 individuals. On the ridge of Chersky (Ust-Nera), the average number of biting midges registered after 5-minute accounting per person using a bell-net reached 104 individuals. In the southern regions, more favourable conditions for pre-imaginal phases of biting midge’s development at the stage of gonotrophic vital activity are revealed. During the course of the study, different compositions of the dominant species were registered in comparison with the previously obtained data. In the South-Western region, as a result of collection «on light» during the period of peak activity of 7 bite midge species, the southern taiga species C. grisescens Edwards (84 %) was registered as eudominant, while C. pulicaris Linnaeus (6 %) and C. punctatus Meigen (6 %) demonstrated low abundance.
KEY WORDS: Biting midges, abundance, natural areas, Yakutia.