Institutskaya, Tyumen, Tyumen Province, 625041 Russia e-mail fiodorova-olia@mail.ru A b str a c t Bluetongue virus (BTV) of Bluetongue and Shmallenberg diseases, the arboviral infections of ruminants, caused by genus ( preliminarily attributed as a member of mainly transmitted by blood-sucking midges from . , , . , . , . a total of over 80 species documented in Russia (V.M. Glukhova, 1989), North territories. <...> Numerous small ponds, marshy areas and litter from decaying plant remains in different landscape and climatic zones are favorable for the development of insects. <...> The unprecedented incursions of BTV (six serotypes in 12 EU countries since 1998 (B.V. Purse et al., 2005), and the emerging so-called Schmallenberg virus (B. Hoffman et al., 2012) underscored a need to revise the list of species, following climate change events. <...> Characteristics of species in Russia populations at different habitats are discussed. <...> A probability of BTV permission in livestock in Russia is considered based on overwintering and transmission mechanisms. <...> Biting midges ( , vectors, biodiversity, arboviral infections, bluetongue, ) are the smallest ), mosquitoes ( sucking two-winged flies of the blood-sucking insect complex which also includes horse flies ( and gnats ( ), black flies ( wing patterns, particularly several dark spots against a light background or vice versa. <...> Most of biting midge species are distinguished by , the species of which are referred to blood-sucking insects. <...> There are more than 1,000 biting midge species in the world fauna, including 130 species in the former USSR territory, more than 80 species in Russia [1] and 68 species in Siberia and the Far East [2]. <...> Numerous water bodies and damp forest litter with decaying plant residues favor the development of these insects. <...> The flight of adult insects lasts 4.0-5.5 months (from May to October) with two population peaks (in the second half of June and in mid-August). <...> A total of 34 species have been identified in the southern taiga subzone of Tomsk Region, and the most common ones among them were , the forest-steppe zone of Novosibirsk Region: , , , , , , , most numerous species at breeding places were . , , , , , , , . 17 species have been described in , , , , [2, 6, 7]. <...> The and Western Siberia is rich in the river system, which creates favorable <...>