Culicoides species from the Obsoletus group are important vectors of bluetongue and Schmallenberg virus. This group consists of several species that cannot easily be identified using morphological characteristics. Therefore, limited information is available about their distribution and habitat preferences. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the species composition of the Obsoletus group in three habitat types at climatically different latitudes across Europe. Traps were placed in three habitat types in three countries at different latitudes. After DNA extraction, biting midges were identified using PCR and gel electrophoresis. Extraction of DNA using Chelex proved to be a cost and time efficient method for species identification. A latitudinal effect on the relative abundance of species from the Obsoletus group was found. Species composition was unique for most country-habitat combinations. The majority of biting midges were either C. obsoletus s.s. or C. scoticus, and both species were found at all latitudes and habitats. Their wide distribution and their high abundance at livestock farms make these species likely candidates for rapid farm-to-farm transmission of pathogens throughout Europe. Our results emphasize the need to differentiate Obsoletus group species to better understand their ecology and contribution to pathogen transmission.

中文翻译：

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在欧洲三个生境中，Obsoletus组中咬人的ge种的纬度多样性。

Obsoletus组的Culicoides物种是bluetongue和Schmallenberg病毒的重要载体。该组由几个物种组成，这些物种无法使用形态特征轻松识别。因此，关于它们的分布和栖息地偏好的信息很少。在这项研究中，我们旨在阐明欧洲气候不同纬度的三种栖息地类型中的Obsoletus组的物种组成。陷阱被放置在三个国家不同纬度的三种栖息地类型中。DNA提取后，使用PCR和凝胶电泳鉴定叮咬mid。使用Chelex提取DNA被证明是一种鉴定物种的成本和时间效率高的方法。发现了对Obsoletus组物种相对丰富度的纬度影响。对于大多数国家-栖息地组合而言，物种组成是独特的。咬人的ges虫大多数是C. obsoletus ss或C. scoticus，并且在所有纬度和生境中都发现了这两种物种。它们的广泛分布和在牲畜农场的高丰度使这些物种很可能成为病原体在整个欧洲快速从农场到农场传播的候选者。我们的结果强调需要区分Obsoletus组物种，以更好地了解其生态学和对病原体传播的贡献。它们的广泛分布和在牲畜农场的高丰度使这些物种很可能成为病原体在整个欧洲快速从农场到农场传播的候选者。我们的结果强调需要区分Obsoletus组物种，以更好地了解其生态学和对病原体传播的贡献。它们的广泛分布和在牲畜农场的高丰度使这些物种很可能成为病原体在整个欧洲快速从农场到农场传播的候选者。我们的结果强调需要区分Obsoletus组物种，以更好地了解其生态学和对病原体传播的贡献。