Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann, 1821), original combination: Culex taeniorhynchus.
Subfamily Culicinae, genus Aedes, subgenus Ochlerotatus. The Culicelsa Group currently includes only four species. Edwards (1932) included these four species in his “Group A (taeniorhynchus-group: Culicelsa)”. The study of Reinert et al. (2008) showed that the other species Edwards included in his Group A are not closely related to Ae. taeniorhynchus and its allies.
Species of the Culicelsa Group are characterised and distinguished from other species of subgenus Ochlerotatus by the following combinations of characters. Characters that diagnose the Culicelsa Group (as subgenus Culicelsa) in the phylogenetic analyses of Reinert et al. (2008, 2009), based on features observed in Ae. mitchellae and Ae. taeniorhynchus, are indicated by an asterisk (*).
ADULTS – Medium-sized mosquitoes; vertex with median patch of pale yellow to golden-yellow scales, erect forked scales pale centrally, darker laterally; *interocular setae ≥ 6; antennal pedicel with pale scales on mesal surface; maxillary palpus of females dark-scaled with pale scales at apex; proboscis dark-scaled with *pale ring near middle, ring sometimes incomplete dorsally or nearly absent; scutum with narrow pale golden to golden-brown scales, often with indefinite submedian lines (broad median stripe in Ae. nigromaculis), anterior and posterior acrostichal and dorsocentral setae all developed; scutellum with pale scales on all lobes; *antepronotal scales all narrow; postpronotum with narrow dark-brown to bronze-brown scales, sometimes with few pale scales ventrally; pleura with patches of broad pale scales on mesokatepisternum, prealar area and upper half of mesepimeron, hypostigmal scales present or absent; lower mesepimeral setae present or absent (*present); wing entirely dark-scaled or with scattered pale scales (in Ae. taeniorhynchus and Ae. mitchellae), *costa with pale scale-patch near base; femora and tibiae speckled with pale scales (except in Ae. taeniorhynchus), femora each with apical knee spot (may be indistinct); fore- and midtarsomeres with narrow basal pale bands, bands reduced or absent on tarsomeres 4 and 5, hindtarsomeres 1–4 with broad basal pale bands, hindtarsomere 5 usually entirely pale-scaled; fore- and midungues of females toothed, fore- and midungues of males enlarged, unequal, larger unguis with 2 teeth, smaller unguis with 1 tooth (*midungues both toothed, larger one with 2 teeth), hindungues simple in both sexes; abdominal terga II–VII dark-scaled with narrow basal pale bands, median pale patches (absent in Ae. taeniorhynchus) and conspicuous lateral pale patches, median pale patches sometimes reach posterior margin (Ae. taeniorhynchus often with pale scaling on posterior margins of terga VI and VII). FEMALE GENITALIA – *Posterior margin of tergum VIII concave; *sternum VIII mostly membranous, *posterior margin with median emargination separating broadly rounded lateral lobes; cercus without scales; upper and lower vaginal sclerites absent; insula lip-like, insular setae in lateral patches. MALE GENITALIA – Ninth tergal lobes poorly developed, each with 3–7 stout spine-like setae; gonocoxite clothed with large scales and numerous long and short setae; basal dorsomesal lobe small, bearing numerous fine setae; apical dorsomesal lobe absent; gonostylus slender, broadest and spiculate in proximal two-thirds, tapered distally to diameter of long apical gonostylar claw; claspette stem slender, spiculate, with a short seta near apex, claspette filament as long or nearly as long as stem, flattened and curved; aedeagus small, simple, tube-like; paraproct strongly sclerotised distally, apex with simple spine. LARVAE – Antenna short, 0.33–0.50 length of head capsule, seta 1-A inserted near mid-length; seta 4-C small, usually branched, inserted posterior to seta 6-C (more or less on level with 6-C in Ae. sollicitans); seta 5-C and seta 6-C usually single; seta 7-C multi-branched; seta 3-P short, single or double; seta 4-P usually single; seta 6-III–V double to 5-branched, seta 6-VI normally single; *seta 1-VIII ≥ 1.10 length of seta 2-VIII; comb scales in 2 or 3 irregular rows; siphon short, index slightly < 2.0 to 3.5, pecten extends to or beyond middle of siphon, pecten spines evenly spaced or distal 2–4 spines more widely spaced; seta 1-S inserted beyond pecten, no longer than 0.5 basal diameter of siphon; *saddle complete; seta 1-X normally single, shorter than saddle; seta 2-X multi-branched, fan-like; ventral brush (seta 4-X) inserted on grid. PUPAE – Seta 5-IV–VI usually double or triple, nearly as long to noticeably longer than following tergum; caudolateral angles of abdominal segments III–V without denticles; seta 9-VII usually with 5 or more branches; *seta 9-VIII inserted slightly anterior to posterolateral corner of segment; seta 1-Pa single, seta 2-Pa absent. See subgenus Ochlerotatus.
The evolutionary affinities of the species that comprise the Culicelsa Group were not investigated prior to the phylogenetic studies of Reinert et al. (2008, 2009). The Culicelsa Group (as subgenus Culicelsa) was recovered as the sister of the Buvirilia and Empihals Groups (as subgenera Buvirilia and Empihals) in a clade comprised of subgenus Pseudoskusea + (Culicelsa + (Buvirilia + Empihals)) in the phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009) based morphological data.
The immature stages of species of the Culicelsa Group mainly occur in temporary freshwater and saline pools and ditches (Ae. mitchellae; Ae. nigromaculis) and brackish and salt water pools in mangroves, marshes and swamps (Ae. sollicitans; Ae. taeniorhynchus). Adult females are savage biters and will attack any time during the day, even in full sunlight, or night.
Cache Valley virus has been isolated from females of Ae. taeniorhynchus in Jamaica (Belkin et al., 1970), and also eastern equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis viruses in the laboratory. Aedes taeniorhynchus is not considered to be a major vector of these viruses, but it is an important vector of dog heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (C. Apperson, http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp10.htm). Aedes sollicitans is considered to be a vector of Eastern equine encephalitis virus (Turell et al., 2005).
Species of the Culicelsa Group occur primarily in coastal areas of the Atlantic from Brazil to Canada and the Pacific from Peru to California, including islands, but also occur in some inland areas with brackish water, as well as central areas of the United States.
Carpenter & LaCasse, 1955; Belkin et al., 1970 (taxonomy, bionomics, distribution); Reinert et al., 2008, 2009 (as subgenus of genus Ochlerotatus, morphology, phylogeny); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (status as species group).
mitchellae (Dyar, 1905)
nigromaculis (Ludlow, 1906)
sollicitans (Walker, 1856)
taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann, 1821)