Aedes metallicus (Edwards, 1912), original combination: Stegomyia metallica.
Subfamily Culicinae, genus Aedes, subgenus Stegomyia. The Metallicus Group is monobasic.
Species of the Metallicus Group are distinguished from other species and groups of subgenus Stegomyia by the following combination of characters (adapted mainly from Huang, 2004). ADULTS ‒ Maxillary palpus with pale scaling; scutum with patch of broadened pale falcate scales on scutal fossa, prescutellar area with broad spatulate metallic silvery scales at sides of bare space; dorsocentral setae present; scutellum with broad pale scales on all lobes; paratergite with broad pale scales; subspiracular area with broad pale scales; postspiracular scales absent; mid- and hindfemora each with knee spot, absent on forefemur, midfemur with large pale spot on anterior surface; anterior surface of hindtibia entirely dark-scaled, without basal pale stripe; hindtarsomeres 1‒3 with basal pale bands, hindtarsomere 4 entirely dark-scaled, hindtarsomere 5 largely pale-scaled, dark-scaled apically. MALE GENITALIA[/no-lexiocn] ‒ Group characters not evident. LARVAE and PUPAE ‒ Not studied in detail; group characters unknown. See subgenus Stegomyia.
Without a thorough review of subgenus Stegomyia, it is difficult to determine the affinities of the Metallicus Group. Edwards (1941) and Muspratt (1956) have note similarities with members of the Simpsoni Group.
Larvae of the Ae. metallicus most often develop in tree holes, but they have also been found in coconut shells, banana axils and artificial containers. Females are known to bite humans.
The sole species of the Metallicus Group is a suspected vector of Yellow Fever virus in Sudan (Lewis, 1943), but it is otherwise not known to be involved in the transmission of pathogens of human diseases.
The sole species of the Metallicus Group is known to occur in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, including Angola, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Senegal, Togo, Tanzania, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Edwards, 1941 (Ae. metallicus ‒ adult and pupa[/no-lexiocn] morphology, distribution); Hopkins, 1952 (Ae. metallicus ‒ larval morphology and bionomics); Muspratt, 1956 (Ae. metallicus ‒ adult and larval morphology, distribution, bionomics, disease relations); Huang, 2004 (diagnosis based on adults, identification key).
metallicus (Edwards, 1912)