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Leptoconops bezzii (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) parasitizing tortoises Testudo graeca (Testudines: Testudinidae) in mountain ranges of Lebanon and western Syria

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Abstract

Biting midges of the genus Leptoconops, subgenus Leptoconops (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) were repeatedly found parasitizing on spur-thighed tortoises Testudo graeca in western Syria and Lebanon. Collected females were assigned to the species L. bezzii according to their morphological characteristics. Tortoises parasitized by midges were observed throughout the daytime, under mild temperatures, and slight winds, in Mediterranean or stony steppe habitats. Intensity of the infestations ranged from a few specimens up to thousands of midges per tortoise. Midges infested predominantly the tortoises’ carapax, finding their approach to the capillaries in the seams between the keratinized scutes. The vector potential of ceratopogonids is discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Mario Coluzzi and Dr. Graziella Senis (Università di Roma, “La Sapienza,” Italy) for the loan of the comparative material of L. irritans and L. bezzii. The work of JM was supported by the grants GACR 206/05/2334 and MK00002327201.

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Correspondence to P. Široký.

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Široký, P., Jandzík, D., Mikulíček, P. et al. Leptoconops bezzii (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) parasitizing tortoises Testudo graeca (Testudines: Testudinidae) in mountain ranges of Lebanon and western Syria. Parasitol Res 101, 485–489 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0490-2

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