New Distributional Record for Coquillettidia richiardii (Diptera: Culicidae) from Shapour Cave, Fars Province, Iran

Background: Shapour cave is located at the end of Chogan gate, four kilometers of Bishapoor in Kazeroon in Fars Province with 800 highest from the ground and 30 meters gate entrance. This cave provide suitable habitate for many insects such as Diptera species. Coquillettidia is a mosquito genus comprising three subgenera, Austromansonia, Coquillettidia, and Rhynochotaenia, with more than 57 species. Some Coquillettidia species like Coquillettidia perturbans is considered a vector of eastern equine encephalitis. Other species are secondary or suspected vectors of Brugia malayi, the cause of lymphatic filariasis, and Rift Valley fever. Objective: There are no reports to date about the distribution of Coquillettidia richiardii in south of Iran. Here we report this species from south of Iran for the first time. Recently this species has been found to be able to transmit Dirofilaria immitis in Italy. Material and Methods: We collected 15 mosquitoes from 500 meters inside Shapour cave located in four kilometers of Bishapoor village, Fars Province, southern Iran using Aspirator. The mosquitoes was identified at the rank of species using available identification keys. Results: Fifteen mosquitoes were collected inside the cave Shapour. All specimens were female and identified as Coquillettidia richiardii based on the available identification keys. Conclusion:: This report is the first published documentation of Coquillettidia richiardii from south of Iran which expands the known distribution of the species from the north of Iran to southern Iran.

کلیدواژه ها:

Mosquitoe ، Kazeroon ، Diptera ، Insect