A genus of small biting flies (not true mosquitoes) known as midges or sand flies, some of which transmit animal diseases.
From Latin 'culex' (mosquito) plus '-oides' (resembling), meaning 'mosquito-like'; named for their similar appearance to mosquitoes.
Culicoides midges are TINY—smaller than a mosquito—but they're major disease vectors for animals, spreading viruses that can devastate cattle and sheep herds across entire continents!
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