Subgenus Leptosomatomyia Theobald, 1905
Aedes aurimargo Edwards, 1922.
Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini, genus Aedes. Subgenus Leptosomatomyia is monobasic. Subgenus abbreviation – Lep.
Subgenus Leptosomatomyia is characterised by the following combinations of characters. Characters that diagnose Leptosomatomyia (as genus) in the phylogenetic analyses of Reinert et al. (2009) are indicated by an asterisk (*).
ADULTS – Dark mosquitoes; vertex with broad and narrow scales; eyes narrowly separated above antennal pedicels; antenna not strongly verticillate in males, *flagellar whorls with several setae directed more or less dorsally and ventrally and several directed laterally; maxillary palpus very short in both sexes, less than 0.25 length of proboscis in males; scutum with pale-scaled margins, median pale stripe and curved posterolateral pale lines ending at base of wing, pale scaling sometimes reduced in males; acrostichal setae absent; dorsocentral setae present; scutellum with broad and narrow scales; paratergite and postspiracular area with narrow pale scales; upper proepisternum, mesokatepisternum and mesepimeron with large patches of broad pale scales, *1 large patch on mesokatepisternum, *2 patches on mesepimeron; several lower mesepimeral setae present; *base of hindcoxa more or less in line with dorsal margin of mesomeron, *hindfemur without dorsal and apical pale scales, *hindtibia entirely dark-scaled; hindtarsomere 1 as long or slightly longer than hindtibia; *ungues of all legs simple in both sexes; abdomen of males very elongate. FEMALE GENITALIA – Abdominal segment VIII small, retracted, *seta 2-S inserted lateral and approximately on level with seta 1-S; tergum IX with deep median posterior emargination and wrinkled lateral areas; cercus short, wider distally than at mid-length; postgenital lobe covered with small spicules, apex emarginate; insula tongue-like, with tuberculi near apex. MALE GENITALIA – *Sternum IX without setae and scales; gonocoxite without apical lobe, with large setose sternomesal lobe, *setae on basomesal area of dorsal surface all slender; gonostylus simple, *noticeably broader at mid-length than proximally, *gonostylus/gonocoxite index ≥ 0.73; gonostylar claw short, broad, inserted at apex of gonostylus; claspette absent; aedeagus comprised of 2 lateral plates, each with several teeth; paraproct long, *with apical teeth. LARVAE – *Antenna without spicules, seta 1-A single; *labiogula wider than long; setae 4–7-C multi-branched, *seta 4-C inserted on level with seta 5-C, *seta 7-C inserted approximately on level with seta 5-C; *seta 1-M single; *seta 12-VII inserted approximately on level with seta 13-VII; comb with 4–6 scales in a single row; siphon short, relatively broad, pecten on proximal 0.5, seta 1-S inserted at distal end of pecten; saddle almost complete; anal papillae very long, sausage-shaped. PUPAE – Trumpet without tracheoid area; *seta 5-CT ≤ 1.2 length of seta 4-CT. See Aedes.
Leptosomatomyia was recovered as the sister of subgenus Huaedes in the phylogenetic study of Aedini, based on extensive morphological data, conducted by Reinert et al. (2009). The two subgenera were the terminal taxa of a clade comprised of subgenera Polyleptiomyia + (Bifidistylus + (Albuginosus + (Tewarius + (Christophersiomyia + (Huaedes + Leptosomatomyia))))). Leptosomatomyia was also recovered as the sister of Huaedes in the phylogenetic analysis of Wilkerson et al. (2015), where this pair was sister to a clade comprised of genus Armigeres + (subgenus Alanstonea + genus Eretmapodites).
Larvae of Ae. aurimargo have been found in coconut shells, bamboo, tree holes and tree cavities. Adult females are known to attack humans who enter their haunts.
The sole species of subgenus Leptosomatomyia is not known to be of medical or economic importance to humans.
Australia (Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait Islands) and New Guinea.
Penn, 1947 (larva); Penn, 1949 (pupa); Lee et al., 1984 (taxonomy); Reinert, 2000 (female genitalia); Reinert et al., 2004, 2009 (as genus, morphology, phylogeny); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (phylogeny, classification).
aurimargo Edwards, 1922
