Aedes muelleri Dyar, 1920.
Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini, genus Aedes. Subgenus Lewnielsenius is monobasic. Subgenus abbreviation – Lew.
Subgenus Lewnielsenius is distinguished by the following combinations of characters. Characters that diagnose Ae. muelleri in the phylogenetic analysis of Reinert et al. (2009) are indicated by an asterisk (*). ADULTS – *Vertex with only narrow falcate scales; *interocular space with both narrow and broad scales; maxillary palpus and proboscis entirely dark-scaled, *males with numerous long setae on palpomeres 3 and 4; *scutum with narrow scales only, white to dirty-white scales in distinct acrostichal and lateral prescutellar lines and either with additional pale scaling in distinct anterior dorsocentral, posterior outer dorsocentral, lateral marginal and posterior fossal lines or covering third of scutum; *scutellum with only narrow scales; paratergite (sometimes) and postpronotum with narrow scales; *antepronotal scales all narrow; thoracic pleura with extensive covering of scales and setae, *≥ 20 upper proepisternal setae; *metameral scales present; tibiae and tarsi dark-scaled; ungues of females simple; *abdominal terga of males with long lateral setae. FEMALE GENITALIA – *Intersegmental membrane between segments VII and VIII long; *tergum VIII with setae on distal 0.70 or more; *postgenital lobe ventral index 0.47–1.64. MALE GENITALIA – Gonocoxite *with dorsomesal basal lobe bearing *a very stout seta, tergal surface with numerous scales; claspette filament without retrorse apical expansion; aedeagus barrel-shaped, *widest in proximal 0.67. LARVAE – *Antenna ≥ 0.42 length of dorsal apotome, *with spicules; *seta 4-C 0.21–0.38 and *seta 6-C 0.41–0.81 length of dorsal apotome respectively; *seta 1-P no longer than seta 2-P; seta 12-I absent; *seta 3-V ≥ 1.80 length of seta 5-V; seta 3-VII short, usually single; comb comprised of 8–12 fringed scales with apical spine; *seta 1a-S 1.15–1.99 width of siphon; *seta 2-X single or double (rarely triple); ventral brush (seta 4-X) usually with 7 pairs of setae *on grid with lateral and transverse bars, seta 4a-X short with 3–5 branches. PUPAE – *Seta 7-CT ≥ 6.0 length of seta 6-CT; seta 1-II–IV and sometimes 1-V well developed, 1-VI,VII and sometimes 1-V usually conspicuously more weakly developed; *seta 3-II no longer than seta 6; *seta 5-II inserted mesal to seta 4; seta 6,9-III–VI more or less strongly developed, long; *seta 2-V inserted on line mesal to seta 3, *seta 5-V longer than following tergum; *seta 9-VIII single or double; paddle rather long and ovate. See Aedes.
Zavortink (1972) suggested a close relationship between subgenus Lewnielsenius (as the Muelleri Group) and subgenus Jarnellius (as the Varipalpus Group) based on complementary distributions and some morphological resemblance, particularly with Ae. laguna. Lewnielsenius was originally established as a subgenus of Jarnellius (Reinert et al., 2006). In the study of Reinert et al. (2009), Lewnielsenius was recovered as the sister of subgenus Abraedes in a clade comprised of subgenera Howardina + (Gymnometopa + (Kompia + (Aztecaedes + (Abraedes + Lewnielsenius)))), indicating that it is not closely related to Jarnellius. Although Lewnielsenius was paired with Jarnellius in the study of Wilkerson et al. (2015) (omitted from their Fig. 3, shown only in supplementary trees), the relationship seems unlikely based on the pairing of Lewnielsenius with Kompia in the maximum likelihood phylogeny of Soghigian et al. (2017) based on seven molecular markers.
The immature stages of Ae. muelleri are usually found in tree holes, but they have also been found in artificial containers and leaf axils of maguey. Females are known to attack and bite humans during the day and brief periods before darkness.
Aedes muelleri is not known or suspected to be of medical or economic importance to humans.
Mexico and the United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas).
Zavortink, 1972 (as Muelleri Group of Aedes subgenus Ochlerotatus, taxonomy); Reinert et al., 2004 (phylogenetic relationships); Reinert et al., 2006 (as subgenus of Jarnellius); Reinert et al., 2008 (as subgenus of Ochlerotatus, phylogenetic relationships); Reinert et al., 2009 (as genus, phylogeny); Reinert, 2010 (as genus, female genitalia); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (phylogeny, classification); Soghigian et al., 2017 (phylogenetic relationships).
muelleri Dyar, 1920