These species have medical importance where they may cause different forms of myiasis (Table 35).
The list is based on Al-Houty (1997 & 2011), Hira et al. (1997 & 2004) and Al-Mesbah et al. (2011 &
2012).
Table 35: Diptera of medical importance reported from Kuwait.
Family Common name Species
Calliphoridae Blow flies Calliphora erythocephala Meigen 1826 Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy 1830
Muscidae House flies Antherigona iota Pont 1981
Coenosia attenuata Steinin Becker 1903 Limnophora tigrina (Amstein 1860)
Oestridae Warble flies Cephalopina titillator (Clark 1816) Oestrus ovis Linnaeus 1758
Sarcophagidae Flesh flies Sarcophaga carnaria Linnaeus 1758 Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis Fallen 1817 Parasarcophaga ruficornis Fabricius 1794 Wohlfahrtia nuba (Wiedemann 1830) Tephritidae Fruit flies Musca helianthi (Rossi 1794)
Musca oleae Gmelin 1790 Musca stellata Fuessly 1775
Reference
Al-Houty, W. (1997). ‘Checklist of the insect fauna of Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 24: 145-162.
Al-Houty, W. (2011). ‘Recent insect fauna recorded in Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 38:81-92.
Al-Mesbah, H., Al-Osaimi, Z. and El-Azazy, O.M.E. (2011). ‘Forensic entomology in Kuwait: The first case report’. Forensic Science International 206: e25-e26. doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.07.013 Al-Mesbah, H., Moffatt, C., El-Azazy, O.M.E. and Majeed, Q.A.H. (2012). ‘The decomposition of
rab-bit carcasses and associated necrophagous Diptera in Kuwait’. Forensic Science International 217: 27–31. doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.09.021
Hira, P.R., Hall, M.J.R., Hajj, B., Al-Ali F., Farooq, R. and Muzairai, I.A. (1997). ‘Human myiasis in Kuwait due to Oestrus ovis, Psychoda species and Megaselia species’. Medical Principles &
Practice 6:129–136. doi.org/10.1159/000157540
Hira, P.R., Assad, R.M., Okasha, G., Al-Ali, F.M., Iqbal, J., Mutawali, K.E., Hemry, R., Disney, L. and Hall, M.J.R. (2004). ‘Myiasis in Kuwait: nosocomial infections caused by Lucilia sericata and Megaselia scalaris’. The American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene 70: 386–389. doi.
org/10.4269/ajtmh.2004.70.386
Trypeta augur Frauenfeld 1857 Trupanea stellata (Fuesslin, 1775) Fanniidae Lesser house flies Fannia canicularis (Linnaeus, 1761) Tabanidae Horse flies Tabanus taeniola Polisot De Beavois 1806
Tabanus arabicus Macquart, 1839
4.4.1.4 Order Coleoptera
The coleopteran fauna of Kuwait consists of 225 species belonging to 28 families (Annex 3). Al-Houty (1984) published the first list of Tenebrionidae from Kuwait. Other publications included records for beetles from Kuwait (Abushama & Cloudsley-Thompson, 1978; Al-Houty, 1997, 2004 & 2011;
Al-Houty & Angus, 1999; Penati & Vienna, 2006; Al-Khalifa et al., 2012). Species of family
Tenebrionidae were the most dominat with 69 species, followed by species in families Meloidae (20 species) and Scarabaeidae (24 species).
Endrödi & Al-Houty (1985) described Pentodon kuwaitense from Kuwait. Edmonds et al. (2019) added new records to the aquatic coleopteran of Kuwait.
Reference
Abushama, F. and Cloudsley-Thompson, J.L. (1978). ‘Desert arthropoda of Kuwait and their distribution’.
Entomologists Monthly Magazine 114: 149-150.
Al-Houty, W. (1984). ‘Preliminary check-list of Tenebrionidae from Kuwait’. Journal of the University of Kuwait (Science) 11: 261-268.
Al-Houty, W. (1989). Insect fauna of Kuwait, pp 186. Kuwait University Press, Kuwait
Al-Houty, W. (1997). ‘Checklist of the insect fauna of Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 24: 145-162.
Al-Houty W. (2004). ‘A faunistic account of the beetles (Coleoptera) of the state of Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 31: 59–76.
Al-Houty, W. (2009). ‘Insect biodiversity in Kuwait’. International Journal of Biodiversity & Conservation 1:251-257.
Al-Houty, W. and Al-Musalam, F. (1996). ‘Dung consumption of Scarabaeus cristatus from Kuwait’.
Zoology in the Middle East 12: 71-74. doi.org/10.1080/09397140.1996.10637691
Al-Houty, W. and Al-Musalam, F. (1997). ‘Dung preference of the dung beetle Scarabaeus cristatus Fab (Coleoptera-Scarabaeidae) from Kuwait’. Journal of Arid Environments 35: 511-516. doi.
org/10.1006/jare.1996.0179
Al-Houty, W. and Angus, R.B. (1999). ‘A preliminary account of some families of aquatic Coleoptera of Kuwait (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Gyrinidae, Helophoridae, Hydrophilidae)’. Koleopterologische Rundschau 69: 183–186.
Al-Khalifa, H., Al-Nasser, A., Abbas, M.S. and Dashti, J. (2012). ‘Biodiversity and conservation of Wildlife at the Wafra area in Kuwait’. Biodiversity Journal 3: 179-188.
Clayton, D.A. (1991). ‘Assortative mating in the dune beetle Erodius sauditus (Tenebrionidae: Erodiini) in Kuwait’. Journal of Arid Environments 21: 81-89. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30730-4 Cloudsley-Thompson, J. L. and Constaninou, C. (1985). ‘Biological clocks in desert beetles (Tenebrio
nidae), with special reference to Erodius octocostatus Peyerimhof in Kuwait’. Journal of the University of Kuwait (Science) 12: 237-242.
Constantinou, C. and Cloudsley-Thompson, J.L. (1980). ‘Circadian rhythmicity in Adesmia cancellata L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Kuwait’. Journal of Arid Environments 3: 319-324. doi.
org/10.1016/S0140-1963(18)31637-9
Edmonds, N.J., Foster, G.N., Davison, P.I. and Al-Zaidan, A.S. (2019). ‘Additional records of aquatic Coleoptera from Kuwait (Coleoptera: Noteridae, Dytiscidae, Spercheidae, Hydrophilidae)’.
Koleopterologische Rundschau 89:11-15.
Endrödi, S. and Al-Houty, W. (1985). ‘Pentodon kuwaitense (Endrödi & Al-houty, 1985) sp. n. from Kuwait (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae)’. Annales historico-naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 77:205.
Penati, F. and Vienna, P. (2006). ‘An updated catalogue of the Histeridae (Insecta: Coleoptera) of the Arabian Peninsula, with biogeographical remarks’. Zootaxa 1157:1-74. doi.org/10.11646/
zootaxa.1157.1.1
Wrase, D.W. (2009a) ‘New or interesting records of Carabid beetles from Europe, Madeira, northern Africa, Turkey, from the Near East, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Pakistan, with nomenclatorial and taxonomic notes (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidiini, Brachinini, Cyclosomini, Elaphrini, Harpalini, Lebiini, Nebriini, Platynini, Pterostichini, Scaritini, Sphodrini, Zabrini)’. Linzer Biologische Beiträge 41:
901–935.
Five species in three families (Table 36) of praying mantises have been recorded from Kuwait (Al-Houty, 1997 & 2011).
Table 36: Mantodea reported from Kuwait.
Family Species
Mantidae Ameles spallanzania (Rossi, 1792) Mantis religiosa Linnaeus 1758
Empusidae Blepharopsis mendica Giglio-Tos 1917 Hypsicorypha gracilis (Bur-meister 1838) Eremiaphilidae Eremiaphila braueri Krauss, 1902
References
Al-Houty, W. (1997). ‘Checklist of the insect fauna of Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 24: 145-162.
Al-Houty, W. (2011). ‘Recent insect fauna recorded in Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 38:81-92.
4.4.1.6 Other minor groups
Embiidina Other orders with few number of species including Embiidina (webspinners), Ephemeroptera (Mayflies), Thysanura (silverfish), Blattodea Dermaptera (Earwigs), Strepsiptera
(twisted-winged parasites), Zygentoma (Silverfish) and Trichoptera (caddisflies) have been recorded from Kuwait (Al-Houty, 1997, 2009 & 2011) (Table 37).
Table 37: Other minor orders of insects reported from Kuwait.
Order Family Species
Embiidina Embiidae Embia major Imms, 1913
Ephemeroptera Polymitarcyidae Polymitarcys savignyi Eaton, 1883 Baetidae Cloeon dipterum (Linnaeus, 1761) Thysanura Lepismatidae Lepisma saccharina Linnaeus, 1758
Thermobia domestica Packard, 1873
Thysanoptera Thripidae Thrips tabacci Lindeman 1888
Blattodea Hodotermitidae Anacanthotermes vagans (Hagen, 1858) Rhinotermitidae Psammotermes hybostoma Desneux 1902 Blattidae Blatta lateralis Walker, 1868
Blatta mellea Krauss 1902
Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus 1758) Ectobiidae Blatella germanica (Linnaeus 1767)
Blattella biligata (Walker 1868) Dermaptera Labiduridae Labidura riparia (Pallas 1773)
Labiidae Libia minor (Linnaeus 1758) Strepsiptera Menegnillidae Menegilla arabica Kinzelbach 1979 Trichoptera Leptoceridae Ylodes reuteri zarudnyi McLachlan 1880 Zygentoma Lepismatidae Thermobia domestica Packard, 1873
References
Al-Houty, W. (1997). ‘Checklist of the insect fauna of Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 24: 145-162.
Al-Houty, W. (2011). ‘Recent insect fauna recorded in Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 38:81-92.
Fleas are bloodsucking insects that feeds primarily on mammals and birds. Al-Taqi & Al-Ziady (1982) studied the fleas associated with rodents in Kuwait. Zaghloul et al. (1985) reported on fleas
parasitizing the Indian Gerbil, Tatera indica. eight species have been recorded parasitizing different species of rodents (Table 38).
Table 38: Fleas reported from Kuwait.
Family Species
Pulicidae Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis, 1826) Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché, 1835) Pulex irritans Linnaeus, 1758
Synosternus pallidus (Taschenberg 1880) Xenopsylla astia Rothschild 1911
Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild, 1903) Xenopsylla conformis (Wagner 1903) Xenopsylla nubica (Rothschild 1903)
Reference
Al-Taqi, M. and Al-Ziady S. (1983). ‘Ectoparasites of rodents in Kuwait’. Proceedings of the 1st Symposium on Recent Advances in Rodent Control 107-114.
Zaghloul, T.M., Zakaria, M. and Salit, A. M. (1986). ‘The Indian Gerbil, Tatera indica, in Kuwait: Biotoxic studies, ectoparasites and endoparasite infection’. Proceedings of the 2nd Symposium on Recent Advances in Rodent Control.
4.4.1.8 Order Neuroptera
Order Neuroptera known as the net-winged insects, includes lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives, with about 6,000 descrpied species worldwide. Records from Kuwait were
extracted from Meinander (1980), Al-Houty (1997
& 2011) and Canard & Thierry (2014), with a total of 13 species (Table 39).
Table 39: Neuroptera reported from Kuwait.
Family Species
Chrysopidae Chrysopa carnea (Stephens, 1836) Chrysoperla concinna (Holze,l 1974) Chrysoperla mutata (Mclachlan, 1898) Myrmeleontidae Creoleon aegyptiacus (Rambur, 1842)
Creoleon cervinus Holzel, 1983
Quinemurus cinereus Kimmins 1943 Nemopteridae Halter halteratus (Forskål, 1775)
References
Al-Houty, W. (1997). ‘Checklist of the insect fauna of Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 24: 145-162.
Al-Houty, W. (2011). ‘Recent insect fauna recorded in Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 38:81-92.
Ábrahám, L. (2014). ‘Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Halter (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae)’.
Natura Somogyiensis 25: 167-186.
Aspöck, H., Hölzel, H. and Aspöck, U. (2001). ‘Kommentierter Katalog der Neuropterida (Insecta:
Raphidioptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera) der Westpaläarktis’. Denisia 2:1–606.
Canard, M. and Thierry, D. (2014). ‘The distribution of Chrysoperla mutata (Mclachlan 1898) and Chrysoperla pudica (Navás 1914) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)’. Entomofauna 35: 405-412.
Hölzel, H. (1998). ‘Zoogeographical features of Neuroptera of the Arabian Peninsula’. In Panelius, S. P. (ed.) Neuropterology 1997. ‘Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Neuropterology’ (13-16 July 1997, Helsinki, Finland). Acta Zoologica Fennica 209:129–140.
Meinander, M. (1980). ‘Insects of Saudi Arabia. Neuroptera: Fam. Nemopteridae’. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 2: 174–178.
Monserrat, V. J. (1988). ‘Revision de las especies de Lertha del Mediterraneo occidental (Neuropteroidea, Planipennia: Nemopteridae)’. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria 87:85-113.
This suborder includes aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects. They were previously included in order Homoptera. This suborder is represented
by two families; Aphididae and Diaspididae, with a total of eight species (Table 40). All records were extracted from Al-Houty (1997).
Table 40: Species of Aphididae and Diaspididae reported from Kuwait.
Family Species
Aphididae Aphis fabae Scopoli, 1763 Aphis nerii Fonscolombe, 1841
Brevicoryne brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758) Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776)
Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch, 1856) Diaspididae Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead, 1894)
Parlatoria blanchardii (Targioni-Tozzetti, 1892) Phoenicococcus marlatti Cockerell, 1899
References
Al-Houty, W. (1997). ‘Checklist of the insect fauna of Kuwait’. Kuwait Journal of Science & Engineering 24: 145-162.
(Photo from Mohammad El Marefi)