Subgenus Elpeytonius Reinert, Harbach & Kitching, 2009

Type species: 

Aedes apicoannulatus (Edwards, 1912) [replacement name for Aedimorphus alboannulatus Theobald, 1905], original combination: Ochlerotatus apicoannulatus.

Classification: 

Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini, genus Aedes. Subgenus Elpeytonius includes only two species. Subgenus abbreviation – Elp.

Characteristics: 

Characters that define the Elpeytonius clade in the phylogenetic analysis of Reinert et al. (2009) are indicated with an asterisk (*). ADULTS – Decumbent scales of vertex all narrow, numerous erect forked scales on occiput and vertex; eyes above antennal pedicels contiguous or separated by diameter of 2 corneal facets; antennal pedicel with few setae and sometimes few scales on mesal surface; maxillary palpus of females dark-scaled, maxillary palpus of males with 5 palpomeres, palpomeres 4 and 5 somewhat downturned, palpomeres 4 and 5 and distal part of 3 with ventrolateral setae; *proboscis pale-scaled ventrally near mid-length; scutum with narrow falcate scales; acrostichal (anterior and posterior) and dorsocentral (anterior and posterior) setae present; scutellum with broad silvery scales on all lobes; paratergite broad, with pale scales; antepronotum with broad silvery scales; postspiracular area without scales; *upper proepisternum with 1−4 setae; lower mesepimeral setae absent; wing dark-scaled with pale scales at base of costa; hindfemur and hindtibia with apical pale scales; hindtarsomeres *1, *2, 3 and 4 with wide apical white band, hindtarsomere 5 entirely or nearly entirely white-scaled; fore- and midungues of females equal, each with tooth, fore- and midungues of males unequal, both foreungues with tooth, larger midunguis with tooth; laterotergite of tergum I with board pale scales, terga I−VI dark-scaled dorsally (*tergum III without median basal pale-scaled area), *segment VII of females laterally compressed. FEMALE GENITALIA – *Tergum VIII with setae on distal 0.60 or less; sternum VIII wider than long, *apex with median emargination, scales absent or few in number, seta 2-S inserted posterior to seta 1-S; 1 large spermathecal capsule (shared with subgenus Catageiomyia); insula is tongue-like with 4−6 distal tuberculi; cercus moderately long, moderately wide, apex broadly rounded, without scales. MALE GENITALIA – Gonocoxite with broad scales, gonostylus attached at apex; *distal part of gonostylus slightly broader than proximal part, with elongate lobe on lateral surface (shared with subgenus Catageiomyia), apex with broad leaf-like gonostylar claw; claspette a short narrow plaque at base of gonocoxite, with few basal setae; aedeagus comprised of 2 sclerites. LARVAE – Seta 4-C with 3−9 branches, inserted mesal to seta 6-C; seta 6-C branched (shared with subgenus Catageiomyia), inserted close to 5-C; setae 1−3-P not inserted on common setal support plate; seta 7-I long, double; seta 12-I absent; seta 5-II longer than seta 3-II (shared with subgenus Catageiomyia); *seta 1-VII ≥ 0.94 length of segment X; comb scales in patch; siphon acus present; spines of pecten evenly spaced; seta 1-S with 2−5 branches, inserted distal to pecten; saddle incomplete, acus absent; seta 1-X single to triple, inserted on saddle; ventral brush (seta 4-X) with branched fan-like setae on grid with both transverse and lateral bars, several precratal setae. PUPAE – Seta 1-CT triple, shorter than seta 3-CT; seta 11-CT single; seta 3-I very long, stout, single; seta 6-I longer than 7-I; seta 3-II inserted mesal or anterior to seta 2-II; seta 5-V longer than tergum VI; seta 9-VII branched, inserted anterolateral to seta 6-VII; paddle without hair-like marginal spicules, apical margin rounded, midrib complete; seta 1-Pa short, double or triple. HABITAT OF IMMATURE STAGES ‒ *Fresh-water plant containers (see Bionomics and disease relations). See Aedes. 

Phylogenetic relationships: 

Subgenus Elpeytonius is sister to subgenus Catageiomyia in the morphological phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009). These two taxa appear to be rather distantly related to Aedimorphus, in which they were previously assigned. Elpeytonius formed a single branch in the large unresolved polytomy recovered in the study of Wilkerson et al. (2015).

Bionomics and disease relations: 

The immature stages of subgenus Elpeytonius inhabit cavities in trees, stumps and axils of plants of the Dracaena family. Females of Ae. simulans have been captured occasionally biting humans in forest and plantations, mainly during daylight hours.

Species of subgenus Elpeytonius are not known to be of medical importance to humans or domestic animals.

Distribution: 

Sub-Saharan Africa. The type species is recorded only from Nigeria and Sierra Leone; Ae. simulans is recorded from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Uganda. 

Principal references: 

Reinert et al., 2009 (as genus, taxonomy, morphology, phylogeny); Reinert, 2010 (as genus, female genitalia); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (phylogeny, classification). 

Species: 

apicoannulatus (Edwards, 1912)
simulans (Newstead & Carter, 1911)

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