Survival and Blood-Feeding Rate of Some Culicoides Species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Israel

Abstract
Vector survival and blood-feeding rate are important components of vectorial capacity, and their measurement may help to identify disease foci. These parameters were estimated for populations of Culicoides spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Israel during the spring of 1981. Mean survival rate per gonotrophic cycle varied from 0.15 for C. newsteadi Austen at Newe Ya'ar, 0.20 to 0.27 for C. obsoletus Meigen at Kabri, to 0.26 to 0.47 for C. imicola Kieffer at Bet-Dagan. The gonotrophic cycle varied from 2 to 6 days. It was concluded that the potential vectorial capacity was very low at the sites and season of sampling.