Effect of agro-ecological landscape on the distribution ofCulicoides obsoletusin northeast China

BACKGROUND Culicoides obsoletusis an important pest for animal husbandry. In the world, it is a major vector of bluetongue disease, which has been added to the list of Class A Animal Diseases by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and must be reported in the event of an outbreak. Although numerous studies onCulicoidessampling in farms exist, the distribution ofC. obsoletusin different landscapes remains unclear. RESULTS This study aimed to assess the effect of landscape type on the distribution ofC. obsoletus. Samples were collected using light traps during spring and fall. The effect of landscape type on the distribution ofC. obsoletussamples was measured by the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). Results show thatC. obsoletusmainly appears in forests and pastures. CONCLUSION Our results may provide references for controlling theC. obsoletuspopulation and provide suggestions of other areas that may also face the challenge of bluetongue.

Automated summary

This study aimed to assess the effect of landscape type on the distribution of Culicoides obsoletus. Results show that C. obsoletus mainly appears in forests and pastures, which may provide references for controlling the population and suggest other areas that may face the challenge of bluetongue disease.