Genus Rampamyia Reinert, Harbach & Kitching, 2006
Rampamyia notoscripta (Skuse, 1889), original combination: Culex notoscriptus.
Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini. Rampamyia includes four species. Genus abbreviation – Ra.
Species of Rampamyia are characterised and distinguished from species of other genera of Aedini by the following combinations of characters. Characters that diagnose Rampamyia in the phylogenetic analyses of Reinert et al. (2009), based on features observed in Ra. albilabris and Ra. notoscripta, are indicated by an asterisk (*).
ADULTS – *Vertex of head with both broad and narrow decumbent scales; erect forked scales on occiput and vertex; eyes contiguous; *antennal pedicel with broad silvery scales on mesal surface; maxillary palpus of females pale at tip, palpus of males longer than proboscis, with 5 palpomeres; *proboscis with pale scales, *pale band near mid-length; acrostichal area, posterior dorsocentral area and lateral margin of scutal fossa with narrow pale stripe, and also usually on posterior margin of scutal fossa; *scales on anterior part of antealar area all dark; supraalar area with narrow longitudinal pale patch; anterior and posterior acrostichal and dorsocentral setae present; scutellum with broad scales on all lobes; broad scales on paratergite, antepronotum, postpronotum, subspiracular area, upper proepisternum, lower prealar area, upper and lower posterior mesokatepisternum, and upper and lower mesepimeron (*mesepimeral scales in 2 patches); lower mesepimeral setae absent; wing dark-scaled, *remigium with dorsal setae inserted distally; *mid- and hindfemora with anterior pale stripe from base to near apex; hindtarsomeres 1–4 with broad basal pale bands; fore- and midungues of females equal, toothed; *fore- and *midungues of males unequal, toothed, larger one with 1 tooth, hindungues equal and simple; laterotergite of abdominal segment I with silvery scale-patch; segment VII of females laterally compressed. FEMALE GENITALIA – *Intersegmental membrane between segments VII and VII long; *tergum VIII and sternum VIII wider than long, normally without scales (*tergum VIII scales absent, occasionally with 1–3 adventitious scales), sternum with seta 2-S inserted posterior to seta 1-S; tergum IX a single sclerite with median posterior emargination; postgenital lobe with few setae distally; lower vaginal sclerite absent; insula lip-like, with 5–7 setae in lateral patches; cercus without scales, *cercus/dorsal postgenital lobe index 3.24–4.78; 3 spermathecal capsules. MALE GENITALIA – Tergum IX lobes short, narrow, acute, each with few setae; gonocoxite with basomesal and apicomesal lobes, *ventral surface with patch of long lanceolate setae distally at mesal margin, mesal surface membranous; gonostylus attached at apex of gonocoxite, relatively short, *gonostylus/gonocoxite index ≤ 0.26, gonostylar claw borne apically, *≥ 0.39 length of gonostylus; claspette comprised of long columnar stem with apical flattened and curved claspette filament; aedeagus simple, tube-like, distinctly long and narrow. LARVAE – Antenna without spicules; seta 1-A normally single, inserted on distal third of antenna; seta 4-C inserted slightly posteromesal to seta 6-C; setae 4,6-C displaced far anterior; seta 5-C inserted posterior and slightly lateral to setae 4,6-C and mesal and slightly anterior to seta 7-C; setae 5,6,13-C single; *seta 19-C present; setae 1–3-P not on common setal support plate; seta 8-P short, multi-branched; seta 7-I single; seta 12-I present; *seta 1-VIII ≥ 1.10 length of seta 2-VIII; comb comprised of numerous scales in patch; pecten spines of siphon evenly spaced; seta 1-S branched, inserted distal to pecten; saddle incomplete, *acus present, with *well-developed spicules on dorsoposterior margin; ventral brush (seta 4-X) attached to grid with transverse and lateral bars; seta 1-X multi-branched, inserted on saddle. PUPAE – *Seta 1-CT weakly developed, considerably shorter than seta 3-CT; *seta 5-CT > 1.3 length of seta 4-CT; seta 6-I longer than seta 7-I; seta 3-II long, single, *as long as or shorter than seta 6-II, inserted mesal to seta 2-II; seta 5-II single, *longer than setae 3-II; seta 5-IV,V longer than following tergum; seta 2-VI inserted mesal to seta 1; seta 6-VII inserted posteromesal to seta 9-VII; paddle broadly rounded apically, without fringe of hair-like spicules; seta 1-Pa single. See Aedini.
The affinities of Rampamyia are uncertain. The genus was recovered as the sister of Molpemyia + (Luius + Macleaya) in the phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009) based on morphological data. The clade was sister to a group of genera divided between two clades comprising Dobrotworskyius + (Patmarksia + Georgecraigius) and Tanakaius + (Hulecoeteomyia + (Gilesius + Collessius)). In the phylogeny recovered in the study of Wilkerson et al. (20115), Rampamyia was the sister of Georgecraigius in a polytomy that also included subgenera Collessius, Gilesius, Hulecoeteomyia and Tanakaius in an unresolved clade, and Dobrotworskyius. The only species of Rampamyia, Ra. notoscripta, included in the maximum likelihood phylogeny of Soghigian et al. (2017) based on seven molecular markers was recovered in a poorly supported clade with species of Bruceharrisonius, Dobrotworskyius, Himalaius and Ochlerotatus.
The immature stages of Rampamyia species are found in plant containers (phytotelmata), including tree holes, bamboo, leaf axils of various plants, palm fronds, coconut shells and husks. They also inhabit rock holes and artificial containers made of metal, cement and wood.
Species of Rampamyia are not of medical and economic importance to humans.
Species of Rampamyia occur in the Australasia Region (Australia, Bismarck Archipelago, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands), with an extension into Indonesia (Java, Moluccas).
Lee et al., 1982 (as notoscriptus subgroup, excluding mallochi (Taylor) and plagosus (Marks), of Group E of Aedes subgenus Finlaya, taxonomy, literature, distributions, bionomics); Reinert et al., 2006, 2008, 2009 (generic status, morphology, phylogeny); Reinert, 2008 (female genitalia); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (as subgenus of Aedes, phylogeny); Soghigian et al., 2017 (as subgenus of Aedes, phylogenetic relationships).
