Sabethes locuples Robineau-Desvoidy, 1827 [subjective synonym of Sabethes cyaneus (Fabricius, 1805)].
Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Sabethini. Sabethes currently includes 39 described species classified in five subgenera: Davismyia (1 species), Peytonulus (12 species), Sabethinus (4 species), Sabethes (18 species) and Sabethoides (4 species).
Sabethes are brilliantly coloured mosquitoes with a smooth covering of metallic green, blue, violet, gold and silver scales. The scutum is uniformly clothed in broad, flat scales and setae are present only on the extreme anterior margin and on the supraalar areas. The antepronota are large and close together. Prealar setae are absent in all species except Sa. petrocchiae of subgenus Davismyia. Most species of subgenus Sabethes have “paddles” of outstanding scales on some or all of the legs. The maxillae of Sabethes larvae have a prominent apical tooth and the maxillary palpus is fused with the maxillary body. A few species of Wyeomyia have a similar apical tooth on the maxilla, but the palpus is not fused with the maxillary body. See Sabethini.
The phyletic affinities of Sabethes are uncertain. The genus was recovered as the sister of Wyeomyia in the cladistic analysis of Judd (1996), as the sister of Limatus in the analyses of Harbach & Kitching (1998) and Harbach & Peyton (2000), and was placed as the sister of Limatus + Malaya when genus Kimia was included in the data set of the last authors (Harbach et al., 2007). The phylogeny of the subgenera and species has not been investigated.
Sabethes are forest mosquitoes. The larvae inhabit plant cavities, primarily bamboo and tree-holes, but bromeliads reportedly harbour a few species. The larval habitats of most species are unknown. Adults are active during the daylight hours. They are attracted to humans on the ground but are most abundant in the forest canopy. Blood-seeking species of subgenus Sabethes approach humans slowly and have a predilection for landing on the nose. Sabethes cyaneus (subgenus Sabethes) and Sa. chloropterus (subgenus Sabethoides) are known to exhibit complex courtship and copulatory behaviours (Hancock et al., 1990; Zsemlye et al., 2005).
Sabethes chloropterus appears to play a role in the transmission of yellow fever virus in Central America. Ilheus and St. Louis encephalitis viruses have also been isolated from this species in Panama, and the latter virus has been isolated from Sa. belisarioi in Brazil.
The single species of subgenus Davismyia occurs in South America. The other subgenera have species in Central as well as South America.
Lane, 1953 (see Harbach, 1991 for taxonomic changes); Forattini, 1965; Cova-Garcia et al., 1966 (Venezuela); Clark-Gil & Darsie, 1983 (Guatemala); Darsie, 1985 (keys, Argentina); Harbach, 1991 (subgenera); Harbach, 1994 (subgenus Sabethinus).
Davismyia (see).
Peytonulus (see).
Sabethes (see).
Sabethinus (see).
Sabethoides (see).
lutzii Theobald, 1903