During the years 1999-2002, a total of 4,898 individuals of 26 species of hematophagous insects (4,149 mosquitoes, 583 black flies, and 166 tabanid flies) was examined for the presence of spirochetes using dark-field microscopy. There was an overall recovery of spirochetes from the midguts of Culicidae and Simuliidae of 23.5% and 11.4%, respectively. Spirochetes were not detected in Tabanidae

The classification of Meloehelea (Ceratopogonidae) species is based on morphological characters. The taxonomic revision of generally well-known species recovered interesting facts on possible geographic intraspecific variability or on the presence of an additional valid species. In this study, 5 European species and 2 species from the U.S.A. and Canada have been compared based on their morphological characters. Subsequently, the 16S rDNA sequences analyses of well known European species have been performed to confirm the characters mentioned in the determination key ofthis subgenus. Although, this study was limited by the number of examined non-European specimens, it provides some interesting facts on the possible morphological variability of well-known species and also an initial phylogenetic backbone for the progressive reconstruction of infrageneric relationships within the genus Atrichopogon.

Car nets were used to collect two samples on a forest road in Podyji National park, the Braitava forest, Czech Republic. Sampling was done in 2002 between May 31 and June 1, and between July 30 and 31. These consisted of 10 rounds (each 10 km in length) from morning to dusk. Over 3,000 specimens (52 species) of Ceratopogonidae were captured. The results suggest that the car-net method may be efficient in ceratopogonid biomonitoring and e. g. determining their daily flight activity and swarming sites.

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