Biting flies (Diptera) of peatlands and marshes in Canada

A review of the literature on biting flies of Canadian bogs, fens and marshes reveals that 21 species of Culicidae, 43 species of Tabanidae and 6 species of Ceratopogonidae are known to occur in such habitats. Of these 70 species of biting flies, 45 occur in bogs, 22 in fens and 36 in marshes. Although the species composition of wetland culicids is largely known, immatures of many species of the tabanids and ceratopogonids have yet to be collected and/or described. Almost nothing is known about the biology of the immature stages in wetland habitats. Most species known to inhabit wetlands have been recorded from both peatlands and marshes, but there are representatives of all families that appear to be restricted to a particular type of wetland. Compounding this paucity of information on the biting flies of Canadian wetlands is the inconsistency and lack of specificity in describing wetland habitats.