Aedes atropalpus (Coquillett, 1902), ), original combination: Culex atropalpus.
Subfamily Culicinae, , tribe Aedini, genus Aedes, subgenus Georgecraigius. The Georgecraigius Group includes two species.
As described for the subgenus; the following characters distinguish the Georgecraigius Group from the Horsfallius Group; characters that diagnose the Georgecraigius Group (as subgenus Georgecraigius) in the phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009) are indicated by an asterisk (*).
ADULTS – *Maxillary palpus of males with few short setae ventrally on distal part of palpomere 3 and ventrolaterally on palpomere 4, palpomeres 3 and 4 not down-turned; antealar scales pale; *paratergite without scales; postpronotum with broad scales; postspiracular area with broad white scales; postprocoxal membrane bare; *hindtarsomere 1 and *hindtarsomere 2 with narrow apical pale band; *laterotergite of {no-lexicon]abdominal segment[/no-lexicon] I without scales. LARVAE –*Labiogula longer than wide; *seta 5-C single, *0.41–0.81 length of dorsal apotome; *seta 6-C single; *setae 1–3-P and setae 5,6-P not inserted on common setal support plates; *seta 4-P longer than seta 3-P; *seta 5-P branched; *seta 4-M single; seta 7-II long, *similar to seta 7-I; seta 13-III–V branched; seta 1-VII single, *seta 1-VII and “seta 3-VII both shorter than segment X; *pecten of siphon with distal 1 or 2 spines more widely spaced; *seta 1-S inserted within pecten; *seta 4d-X of ventral brush single or double. PUPAE – *Seta 3-II thinner than seta 1-II; seta 5-II inserted mesal to seta 4-II; seta 6-II shorter than seta 7-II; seta 6-III–V short; seta 5-IV–VI shorter or about same length as following {no-lexicon]tergum[/no-lexicon]; seta 2-VI,VII inserted laterad or on level of seta 1; *seta 2-V inserted anterior to seta 3-V, *seta 2-VI inserted lateral to seta 1-VI; seta 8-VI,VII inserted ventrally. See subgenus Georgecraigius.
In the phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009) based on extensive morphological data, the Georgecraigius Group (as subgenus Georgecraigius) is sister to the Horsfallius Group (as subgenus Horsfallius) and this pair is sister to the Australasian subgenus Patmarksia.
The immature stages of species of the Georgecraigius Group usually inhabit rock holes and rock pools, but have been found in artificial containers and sometimes in tree holes, ground pools, stream pools and the axils of Agave. Several broods of Ae. atropalpus are produced each year in warmer climates, but the larvae develop slowly. Females of this species may develop their first batch of eggs without taking a blood meal (autogeny). Eggs are laid individually above water level and hatch when the habitat is filled by rain of flooding. The females of Ae. atropalpus often bite persistently during the daytime in the vicinity of larval habitats. Females of Ae. epactius are apparently always require a blood meal for the development of their first batch of eggs (anautogeny).
Laboratory studies have shown that Ae. atropalpus is capable of transmitting La Crosse, West Nile and other encephalitic viruses (Freier & Beier, 1984; Turell et al., 2001), but its importance as a vector of infectious diseases is unknown.
Canada (Labrador, Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec), Costa Rica (Alajuela, Guanacaste), El Salvador, Guatemala (Guatemala), Mexico (Baja California Sur, Chiapas, Guerrero, Morelos, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz), Panama (Panama) and United States (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin). Aedes atropalpus was introduced into Italy (Romi et al., 1997), France (2003, S. Chouin & F. Schaffner, unpublished) and the Netherlands (Scholte et al., 2009), but it was subsequently exterminated in Italy and France and is unlikely to have been established in the Netherlands due to climatic conditions (Scholte et al., 2009).
Reinert et al., 2006, 2008, 2009 (as subgenus of genus Georgecraigius, morphology, phylogeny), Reinert, 2008 (as subgenus of genus Georgecraigius, female genitalia); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (classification).
atropalpus (Coquillett, 1902)
epactius Dyar & Knab, 1908
