Subgenus Belkinius Reinert, 1982

Type species: 

Aedes aurotaeniatus (Edwards, 1922), original combination: Stegomyia aureostriata.

Classification: 

Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini, genus Aedes. Subgenus Belkinius is monobasic. Subgenus abbreviation – Blk.

Characteristics: 

Subgenus Belkinius, like most generic-level taxa of tribe Aedini, is diagnosed and distinguished by a combination of characters. Characters that define the Belkinius clade in the phylogenetic analysis of Reinert et al. (2009) are indicated with an asterisk (*). ADULTS – Somewhat similar to the adults of subgenus Stegomyia. Vertex of head with broad decumbent scales; few short erect forked scales confined to occiput; *interocular space with broad scales; antenna distinctly shorter than proboscis; flagellomeres 1–12 of males with scales on proximal side of flagellar whorls; maxillary palpus very short (both sexes); *scutal scales narrow, *entirely pale; acrostichal setae absent; few anterior dorsocentral setae present, *posterior dorsocentral setae absent, *length of dorsocentral area with stripe of pale scales; *scutal fossa with contrasting areas of pale scales; *prescutellar space covered with scales; upper proepisternum with broad scales and 2–4 setae, lower area bare; mesepimeron with 1–4 setae above scale-patch, lower mesepimeral setae absent; anal vein (vein 1A) ends at or slightly distal of intersection of cubitus anterior (vein CuA) and mediocubital crossvein; *hindtibia entirely dark-scaled; both ungues of *fore- and midlegs toothed in females, equal and without tooth in males. FEMALE GENITALIA – *Tergum VIII and *sternum VIII without or with few adventitious scales; tergum IX short, band-like, without setae; postgenital lobe moderately long and wide with concave lateral margins; insula tongue-like with few tuberculi on apical 0.35; MALE GENITALIA – Tergum IX trilobed, *without setae; gonocoxite short and broad; basal mesal lobe short, near mesal surface of gonocoxite; gonostylus large, *noticeably broader at mid-length than proximally, with blade-like spines, *gonostylus/gonocoxite index ≥0.73; gonostylar claw absent; aedeagus with 2 lateral plates, each with apical teeth. LARVAE – Unknown. PUPAE – *Cephalothorax (metanotum) with clear unpigmented spots; trumpet with long pinna; *seta 5-CT >1.3 length of seta 4-CT; *seta 13-CT present; seta 2-I short; seta 3-I very long; *seta 5-II posterior or posterolateral to seta 4-II; paddle with fringe of long hair-like spicules; *midrib strongly developed and extended to apex of paddle; seta 1-Pa single with recurved tip. See Aedes.

Phylogenetic relationships: 

Belkinius appears to have closest affinity with genus Zeugnomyia, as indicated in the clade recovered in the morphological phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009) that comprises Lorrainea + (((Udaya + (Belkinius + Zeugnomyia)) + (Eretmapodites + Armigeres)). This sister-group association of Belkinius and Zeugnomyia was also recovered in the study of Reinert et al. (2004) based on an analysis of fewer morphological characters. Belkinius fell within a polytomy with subgenus Bothaella, subgenus Catatassomyia, and genera Udaya and Zeugnomyia in the phylogeny reconstructed by Wilkerson et al. (2015).

Bionomics and disease relations: 

Aedes aurotaeniatus occurs in hilly, mountainous areas. Females are known to bite humans in areas of high altitude. The immature stages have only been found in the axil of a wild banana tree. 

Aedes aurotaeniatus is of no medical or economic importance to humans.

Distribution: 

The type species of subgenus Belkinius is only known from Negros Occidental and Mindoro Oriental Provinces of the Philippine Islands. 

Principal references: 

Reinert, 1982 (taxonomy); Reinert, 2000 (female genitalia); Reinert et al., 2004, 2009 (as genus, morphology, phylogeny); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (phylogeny, classification).

Species: 
aurotaeniatus (Edwards, 1922)
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith