Although African horse sickness (AHS) is
considered to be endemic in Namibia, limited
data on its Culicoides midge vector (Diptera:
Ceratopogonidae) are available. The principal
study objective was to determine the presence,
species composition and the richness and
diversity of Culicoides adults during the colder
and drier months in the Khomas region of
central Namibia. Five sites were selected,
ranging from relatively high to low altitudes
with high to low annual rainfall. Onderstepoort
suction UV‐light traps were used for Culicoides
species collection and were run during the
winter from 6 July to 21 September 2009. A
relatively high diversity of 25 species from
9 091 Culicoides individuals were collected in
34 collections. The abundance of the proven
vector of AHS virus, Culicoides imicola, varied
from 94% near Windhoek at a high altitude
and relatively higher annual rainfall, to 12% at
the site situated farthest south‐west, with the
lowest altitude and annual rainfall. This
relatively high Culicoides midge abundance,
coupled with the presence of a cycling host
(zebra) in the area, imply that AHS virus may
overwinter in the Khomas region of Namibia.