A review and update of the distribution, bionomics, and medical importance of Culicoides (Haematomyidium) paraensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the United States in response to recent Oropouche virus expansion in the Americas

Oropouche virus (OROV) has expanded its distribution in the Neotropics and Caribbean (2023–2025). Over 100 reported travel cases of OROV have been reported in travelers returning to Florida alone. The primary insect vector, Culicoides paraensis (Goeldi), is present in the United States and it is essential to update our knowledge of its distribution to better understand the risk of OROV encroaching into continental United States and US Caribbean territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. An updated distribution map for C. paraensis is presented based on newly compiled distribution records from recent field collections, data mined from archived museum specimens, online databases, and published literature. The known US range of C. paraensis is expanded to include 219 counties across 24 states and Washington DC, and new state records for Arkansas, Michigan, and New Jersey, and a previously unreported museum record for the District of Columbia are reported. Bionomics, surveillance and control, taxonomy and systematics, and medical importance is also provided for C. paraensis in this review.