Aedes edwardsi (Barraud, 1923), original combination: Stegomyia edwardsi.
Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini, genus Aedes, subgenus Stegomyia. The Edwardsi Group includes four species.
Characters that diagnose thetype species in the phylogenetic study of Reinert et al. (2009) are indicated withan asterisk (*). ADULTS ‒ Head: Eyes very widely separated; erect scales restricted to occiput; vertex with ananterior triangular patch of broad pale scales extending cephalad from posterior area to a point between the eyes; *ocular scales both broad and narrow. Antenna: mesal surface of pedicel with broad scales, *lateral surface without scales. Thorax: Scutum with a small median oval patch of narrow pale scales anteriorly and a patch of pale scales in supraalar area; acrostichal setae absent; dorsocentral setae present; paratergite largely with pale scales; scutellum with broad pale scales on all lobes and a few broad dark scales on posterior margin of midlobe; pleuron with patches of broad pale scales on antepronotum, mid-caudal area of postpronotum, upper proepisternum, upper and lower mesokatepisternum and mesepimeron (*mesepimeral scales in 2 patches); subspiracular area with or without scales; lower mesepimeral setaepresent or absent. Wing: Dark-scaled with minute spot of pale scales at base of costa. Legs: Knee spots on all femora; fore- and midtarsomeres 1 and 2 with basal white bands; hindtarsus with broad white rings on tarsomeres l‒4, all of tarsomere 5 white; ungues of females all simple, fore- and midungues of males unequal, larger one toothed, smaller one simple, hindungues equal and simple. Abdomen: Terga II‒VI with or without submedian basolateral pale patches, in addition to the usual basolateral pale patches. FEMALE GENITALIA ‒ *Tergum VIII with seta on distal 0.7; posterior margin of sternum VIII median emargination and conspicuous rounded lateral lobes; tergum IX with well-developed lateral lobes, each with setae; postgenital lobe with shallow apical notch; cerci short and broad, *with scales; 3 spermathecae, one larger than the other 2; insula longer than broad, with setae. MALE GENITALIA ‒ Gonostylar claw subapical; claspette strongly developed; aedeagus widened apically, apex with 6 or 7 teeth on each side; paraproct without sternal arm near base; cercal setae absent. LARVAE ‒ Antenna without spicules; *seta 1-P as long or shorter than seta 2-P; *comb plate present; siphon short, acus absent, pecten extending beyond 0.7, *distal pecten spine(s) more widely spaced; *seta 1-S inserted within pecten; saddle of segment X incomplete, with strong spine-like marginal spicules, ventral brush (seta 4-X) with 4 pairs of strongly branched setae inserted on boss. PUPAE ‒ Cephalothorax: Seta 1-CT near caudal border of sclerite, *weakly developed, considerably shorter than seta 3-CT; setae 1,3-CT branched; eta 5-CT strongly developed, usually double. Abdomen: Seta 2-III‒VII at about level of seta 1-III‒VII respectively; seta 5-IV‒VI branched; seta 9-VI,VII dorsolateral. Paddle: With long fringe; apex truncate or more or less emarginate; seta 1-Pa usually atleast 0.7 of paddle length. See subgenus Stegomyia.
The type species has been described and illustrated by Barraud (1923, 1934: female, male, male genitalia), Huang (1977: female, female genitalia, male, male genitalia) and Tewari et al. (2008: fourth-instar larva and pupa). Belkin (1965) provided additional information onspecies included in the subgenus.
The Edwardsi Group (represented by the type species) was recovered as sister to a clade comprised of the Pandani and Zoromorphus Groups (as subgenera Bohartius and Zoromorphus) in the preferred phylogeny of tribe Aedini recovered in the cladistic analyses of Reinert et al. (2009) based on extensive morphological data.
Little or nothing is known about the bionomics of the species of the Edwardsi Group. The immature stages of Ae. tulagiensis have been found in the axils of Pandanus and in a tree hole; those of Ae. robinsoni were found in a tree fern stump and in a hole in a Poinciana tree (Belkin, 1962). Females do not appear to be readily attracted to humans.
Species of the Edwardsi Group are of no medical or economic importance to humans.
Species of the Edwardsi Group are known only from the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, Southeast Asia and the Santa Cruz Islands in the South Pacific.
Belkin, 1962 (South Pacific, taxonomy, keys); Huang, 1974 (Andaman Islands, Ae. seampi, taxonomy); Huang, 1977 (as Edwardsi Subgroup, Southeast Asia, taxonomy, keys); Huang, 1979 (Oriental Region, taxonomy, keys); Lee et al., 1987 (Australasian Region, taxonomy, keys); Reinert et al., 2009 (as subgenus Actinothrix of genus Stegomyia, morphology, phylogeny).
edwardsi Barraud, 1923 robinsoni Belkin, 1962 seampi Huang, 1974 tulagiensis Edwards, 1926
