Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae: Culicoides Latr.) associated with livestock farms in the Faroe Islands

A large number of biting midges (Culicoides) were collected in light traps operating simultaneously outside and indside 25 Faroese byres. The catch comprised two species: C. (Culicoides) impunctatus Goetghebuer, 1920, accounting for >98% of all biting midges trapped, and C. (Oecacta) pseudoheliophilus Callot & Kremer, 1961, new to the Faroese fauna. C. impunctatus was common at most of the farms, females contributing >95% of the catch. Apparently C. pseudoheliophilus has a more limited distribution in the Faroe Islands and was only recorded from nine byres. The relative distribution of female C. impunctatus on physiological types differs in light trap catches inside and outside the byres, e.g. the proportion of engorged feamles was higher inside the cowshed, whereas the proportion of nulliparous females was higher outdoors. In the Faroes C. impunctatus appears to be unimodal and univoltine with only one brood per year.