Recurring Late December Outbreaks of Adult Simulium jenningsi Group Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Seminary, Mississippi, USA

Abstract

Abstract Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) are reemerging as biting and nuisance pests in many southern states, presumably from improving water quality in creeks and rivers. Since 2009, entomologists at Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Department of Health have conducted surveys to ascertain what black fly species are present in the state as well as their geographic distribution and seasonality. These surveys revealed what appears to be a recurring, significant emergence of black flies every year around 25 December at one site in southern Mississippi. In this study, adult black flies were collected from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021 by hand netting in the exact same way each time at Okatoma Creek, Seminary, MS. Forty-eight collecting trips to the site over the 4-yr period yielded a total of 176 black flies, all morphologically identified as Simulium jenningsi Group Malloch. Molecular identification was successfully performed on 17 specimens collected during the December outbreaks. Of the 17 specimens analyzed, 10 and 7 specimens grouped with 100% bootstrap confidence inside clades comprising S. jenningsi or S. podostemi, respectively.