Subgenus Cornetius Huang, 2005

Type species: 

Aedes cozi Cornet, 1973.

Classification: 

Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini, genus Aedes. Subgenus Cornetius is monobasic. Subgenus abbreviation – Cor.

Characteristics: 

Subgenus Cornetius is characterised by the following combinations of characters, which distinguishes the subgenus from all other generic-level taxa of Aedini [characters that provide a polythetic diagnosis of the subgenus in the phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009) are indicated with an asterisk (*)]. ADULTS ‒ Dorsum of head with broad decumbent scales, erect scales *on occiput and vertex; *interocular setae absent; mesal surface of antennal pedicel with patch of broad pale scales; maxillary palpus of male about as long as proboscis, palpomeres 2‒5 with pale basal bands (incomplete ventrally on palpomeres 4 and 5), palpomeres 4 and 5 very short (total length shorter than length of palpomere 3), *down­turned, palpomere 4 slightly swollen, with a few short stiff setae at apex, *palpomere 5 ≤ 0.55 length of palpomere 4; maxillary palpus of female about 0.25 length of proboscis, with pale band at bases of palpomeres 2 and 3, palpomere 4 minute; *acrostichal and *dorsocentral areas of scutum each with stripe of pale scales posteriorly, acrostichal setae absent; scutal fossa with contrasting pale scales in large patch; paratergite with broad pale scales; scutellum with broad pale scales on all lobes; postspiracular setae present; subspiracular area with broad pale scales; *upper prealar scales and *lower prealar scales present [latter absent according to Huang, 2005]; *upper mesokatepisternal setae absent; *lower mesepimeral setae present; postprocoxal membrane without scales; *anterior surface of midfemur with pale stripe from base to or near apex; *hindtibia with pale-scaled areas; basal pale bands on at least hindtarsomeres 1‒3; *abdominal segment VII dorsoventrally flattened. FEMALE GENITALIA ‒ *Posterior margin of sternum VIII with median emargination separating sublateral lobes; *posterior margin of postgenital lobe straight; cerci short and broad, *distal part gently oblique, *cercal scales present; insula as long as or slightly longer than broad, with tuberculi, without setae; upper vaginal sclerite present; lower vaginal sclerite absent; 3 spermathecal capsules, one slightly larger. MALE [no-lexiicon]GENITALIA[/no-lexicon] ‒ *Lateral lobes on posterior margin of tergum IX close together; sternum IX with setae; gonostylus elongate, rather flat, slightly expanded just beyond middle, narrow and curved toward apex; gonostylar claw stout, *inserted subapically some distance from apex of gonostylus; c1aspette well developed, with numerous setae; aedeagus strongly toothed; *paraproct with sternal arm; cercal setae absent. LARVAE ‒ Seta 4-C well developed, single, simple, inserted closer to seta 6-C than to seta 5-C, inserted anteromesad of 6-C; seta 12-I absent; *seta 6-II as long as seta 6-III; *seta 1-VIII single; seta 2-VIII distant from seta 1; comb scales in single row; seta 1-S single, long, inserted distal and anterior to pecten spines; *seta 3-X branched; ventral brush (seta 4-X) with 5 pairs of setae on grid, without precratal setae. PUPAE ‒ Seta 6-CT single, long, stout; *seta 7-CT much shorter than 6-CT; *seta 3-II thinner than seta 1-II; *seta 3-III shorter than seta 5-III; *seta 5-V shorter than following tergum; *seta 2-VI inserted lateral to seta 1-VI; seta 9-VI,VII single, long, stout, much longer and stouter than seta 9-I‒V; paddle margins with fringe of fine hair-like spicules, *apex with moderately deep emargination; seta 1-Pa *present, single and long. See Aedes. 

Phylogenetic relationships: 

Cornetius was recovered in a basal relationship to a clade comprising (Petermattinglyius + (Alanstonea + Pseudarmigeres) + Heizmannia))) + (Lorrainea + (((Udaya + (Belkinius + Zeugnomyia)) + (Eretmapodites + Armigeres))) in the phylogenetic analysis of Reinert et al. (2009) based on numerous morphological characters of all life stages. The type species of the subgenus was originally described as a species of subgenus Stegomyia by Cornet (1973), but there is no evidence of a close relationship with members of that or any other generic-level taxon of Aedini. In contrast, however, Cornetius was recovered as the sister of Stegomyia in the cladistic analysis of Wilkerson et al. (2015).

Bionomics and disease relations: 

Females of Ae. cozi have been collected biting humans in gallery forest in eastern Senegal. The specimens that comprise the type series of this species were reared from eggs obtained from a biting female; hence, nothing is known about the bionomics of the immature stages. 

The single species of subgenus Cornetius is not known to be of medical or economic importance to humans.

Distribution: 

The single species of subgenus Cornetius is only recorded from Senegal. 

Principal references: 

Huang, 2005 (taxonomy); Reinert et al., 2009 (as genus, morphology, phylogeny); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (phylogeny, classification).

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