Subgenus Cruzmyia Lane & Cerqueira, 1942

Type species: 

Wyeomyia dyari Lane & Cerqueira, 1942.

Classification: 

Subfamily Culicinae, genus Wyeomyia. Subgenus Cruzmyia includes four species. Subgenus abbreviation – Cru.

Characteristics: 

ADULTS ‒ Proboscis longer than forefemur; mesopostnotal setae present; paratergite without scales; lower mesokatepisternal setae not extending above dorsal margin of mesomeron; upper calypter of wing without marginal setae. MALE GENITALIA ‒ Tergum IX lobes weakly developed, widely separated, each with 3 or 4 stout apically blunt setae; gonocoxite without long setae except for long lateral seta, tergal triad not apparent; gonostylus with long narrow stem and rather small head comprising lobes M, AE and C, lobe C long and slender; aedeagus broadest in distal two-thirds, apical tergal arms not connected; paraproct with apical tooth, cercal setae present. LARVAE ‒ Setae 4‒7-C single, seta 5-C inserted anterior to seta 7-C; seta 1-A single, inserted on distal 0.25 of antenna; seta 3-Mx of maxilla not borne in lateral cup-like notch, seta 4-Mx single, truncate, seta 6-Mx branched; seta 14-C strongly developed, significantly longer than seta 15-C, inserted anterior to seta 15-C; seta 1-P with few branches, inserted mesal to setae 2,3-P; seta 4-P relatively short, multi-branched; seta 11-P,M,T short, hair-like; seta 8-T inserted anterior to sclerite bearing setae 9‒12-T; seta 13-T multi-branched, nearly as long as thorax; seta 1-I‒VII branched, similarly developed; seta 13-I inserted anterior to other ventral setae, 13-II,III inserted more or less on level with seta 7, 13-IV‒VI inserted distinctly posterior to seta 7; comb plate present, plate with posterior row of strong spine-like scales; siphon without pecten, seta 1-S inserted about 0.3 from base of siphon, setae la-S with relatively few elements in straight posterolateral row beyond level of seta 1-S, seta 2a-S in anterolateral and lateral rows with many and few setae respectively; saddle without posterolateral spicules; seta 4-X much shorter than setae 1‒3-X, multi-branched. PUPAE ‒ Cephalothorax and abdomen with darkly pigmented areas; seta 1-I strongly developed, dendritic; seta 2-II inserted lateral to seta 1, 2-III‒VII inserted anterior to setae 1 (at approximately mid-length of terga IV‒VI); seta 3-II inserted lateral and 3-III‒VI inserted anterior to seta 1; seta 6-II single, long, longer than following tergum, seta 6-VII inserted on tergum posteromesal to seta 9; paddle long, much longer than tergum VIII, gradually narrowed to apex, apex and lateral margins with minute spicules. See genus Wyeomyia.

Phylogenetic relationships: 

The results of the morphology-based phylogenetic study of Motta et al. (2007) suggest that Cruzmyia is a basal lineage within Wyeomyia. Judd (1996) recovered Cruzmyia and Limatus as sister groups, also based on phylogenetic analysis of morphological data.

Bionomics and disease relations: 

Larvae of Wy. dyari and Wy. forattinii have been found in bromeliads (Clastrier, 1974; Heinemann & Belkin, 1978, 1979) and larvae of the other two species of Cruzmyia probably also develop in bromeliads (Belkin et al., 1971). Nothing is known about the bionomics of the adults.

Distribution: 

Species of subgenus Cruzmyia are only recorded from Brazil (Wy. dyari, Wy. kummi, Wy. mattinglyi), Colombia (Wy. kummi, Wy. mattinglyi) and French Guiana (Wy. forattinii).

Principal references: 

Lane, 1953 (keys, subgenus and species descriptions, distributions); Judd, 1996 (morphology, phylogenetic relationships); Motta & Lourenço-de-Oliveira, 2005 (comparative morphology); Motta et al., 2007 (morphology, phylogenetic relationships).

Species: 
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith