Abstract
The "maruins" of the genus Culicoides are important bloodsucking pests in the Amazon rain
forests as elsewhere in the world. A key is given for the 60 Amazon species of which 15 are described
as new: albuquerquei, atripalpis, batesi, belemensis, carvalhoi, cylindricornis, fittkaui, freitasi, fusipalpis,
goeldii, guamai, paramaruim, todatangae, vernoni, and wallacei. Human biting records are presented for
18 species. Two large series of collections from light traps are compared: AITKEN took 44 species in the
more fertile várzea region of the APEG Forest at Belém, while FITTKAU collected only 17 species in the
nutrient poor headwater streams in Amazonas and Pará. A review is given of Amazon ecology, which may
explain this faunal contrast.