Towards the PCR-based identification of Palaearctic Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae): results from an international ring trial targeting four species of the subgenus Avaritia

Table 2 Number and origin of specimens belonging to the Obsoletus group included in each of the three ring trials (RT)

Species	No. and origin of specimens¹	RT1	RT2a	RT2b	RT3
Species	No. and origin of specimens¹	Ground midge	DNA sample	DNA sample	Whole midge
Culicoides chiopterus	12 BE, 21 FR, 6 NL, 17 GB	4 ♀ + 3 ♂	1 ♂	2 ♀ + 2 ♂	44 ♀
Culicoides dewulfi	14 BE, 22 FR, 6 NL, 1 CH 12 GB	3 ♀ + 4 ♂	1 ♀	2 ♀ + 2 ♂	43 ♀
Culicoides obsoletus	12 BE, 19 FR, 6 NL, 1 CH, 19 GB	4 ♀ + 3 ♂	1 ♂	2 ♀ + 2 ♂	45 ♀
Culicoides scoticus	15 BE, 28 CO, 6 FR, 6 NL, 1 GB	3 ♀ + 4 ♂	1 ♀	2 ♀ + 2 ♂	44 ♀
Culicoides imicola	26 FR	2 ♀		2 ♀	22 ♀
Culicoides newsteadi	13 FR	1 ♀		1 ♀	11 ♀
Culicoides pulicaris	1 FR	1 ♀
Culicoides nubeculosus	1 FR	1 ♀
Forcipomyia bipunctata	13 FR	1 ♀		1 ♀	11 ♀

¹BE: Belgium, FR: French mainland, CO: Corsica, NL: the Netherlands, CH: Switzerland, GB: United-Kingdom.

ISSN: 1756-3305