Genus Scutomyia Theobald, 1904
Scutomyia albolineata Theobald, 1904.
Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Aedini. Scutomyia includes nine species. Genus abbreviation – Sc.
Species of Scutomyia are characterised and distinguished from species of other genera of Aedini by the following combinations of characters. Characters that diagnose Scutomyia in the phylogenetic analyses of Reinert et al. (2009), based on features observed in Sc. albolineata and Sc. arboricolus, are indicated by an asterisk (*).
ADULTS – *Vertex of head with both broad and narrow decumbent scales; erect scales confined to occiput; *ocular scales all narrow; antennal pedicel with patch of broad silvery scales on mesal surface; maxillary palpus dark-scaled, with 4 palpomeres in females, 5 in males, maxillary palpus of males 0.48–0.83 length of proboscis (longer, about same length as proboscis in Sc. bambusicolus), with palpomeres 4 and 5 nearly straight; scutum with or without median longitudinal pale stripe (absent in Sc. platylepida) extending from anterior promontory to at least posterior end of acrostichal area, *present on posterior acrostichal area; paratergite bare; acrostichal setae absent; dorsocentral setae present or absent; scutellum with broad scales on all lobes; postpronotum without scales; upper and *lower proepisternal scales present; subspiracular scales and postspiracular scales absent; wing dark-scaled, sometimes with small pale spot at base of costa, *upper calypter with 0–3 hair-like scales; *hindcoxa more or less at same level as dorsal margin of mesomeron, hindtarsus with basal pale band at least on tarsomere 1; foreungues of females both simple; abdominal terga of males with few relatively short lateral setae. FEMALE GENITALIA – Tergum VIII with setae on caudal ≤ 0.6; sternum VIII with caudal margin shallowly concave or with deep U-shaped notch, setae 1–3-S in more or less curved line from anteromedian area to posterolateral area, seta 1-S inserted mesally near anterior margin, seta 2-S inserted close to seta 1-S, seta 3-S widely separated posteriorly from setae 1,2-S; insula tongue-like, without setae, with 3–9 (usually 6–9) small tuberculi on distal 0.40, each with or without short spicule. MALE GENITALIA – Tergum IX lobes unapparent or slightly produced; *gonostylus attached at apex of gonocoxite, elongate, *no setae on distal third, *gonostylar claw spiniform, inserted near mid-length of gonostylus; *aedeagus widest in distal third, with several distolateral teeth; paraproct *with apical teeth, without sternal arm, with or without apical lobed process. LARVAE – Antenna without or *with spicules; *seta 5-C branched; *seta 6-C 0.41–0.81 length of dorsal apotome; seta 12-I absent; *seta 1-VII 0.48–0.85 length of segment X; seta 2-VII branched; seta 12-VII inserted anterior to seta 12-VII; comb with scales in a single row, comb plate present or absent; siphon short, siphon index about 2.0–3.1, acus present, pecten on proximal 0.5 of siphon, pecten spines evenly spaced, seta 1-S inserted distad of pecten; segment X with inconspicuous spicules or large spines on posterior margin; ventral brush (seta 4-X) with 5 pairs of setae. PUPAE – *Seta 2-II as long as or longer than seta 1-II, *seta 1-VI inserted lateral to seta 1-VI; seta 9-VIII with 3 or more branches, *inserted slightly anterior or mesal to posterolateral corner of segment; paddle more or less oval, margins without fringe of hair-like spicules, at most with minute spicules; seta 1-Pa branched, long, *0.40−0.60 length of paddle. See Aedini.
The phylogenetic relationships of Scutomyia are uncertain. The genus appears to share affinities with some Stegomyia, and was previously recognised as a species group (Albolineatus Group) within that taxon (Knight & Rozeboom, 1946; Huang, 1979). The genus was recovered as the sister of Catatassomyia + Bothaella in the phylogeny of Reinert et al. (2009) based on morphological data. Its relationship with other generic-level taxa was unresolved in the phylogeny of Wilkerson et al. (2015). The only species of Scutomyia, Sc. albolineata, included in the maximum likelihood phylogeny of Soghigian et al. (2017) based on seven molecular markers was recovered in a poorly supported relationship with Bothaella + (Borichinda + Nyctomyia).
Species of Scutomyia are usually found in plant containers such as bamboo stumps and tree holes, but they also occur in numerous other phytotelmata, artificial containers, rock holes, lagoons and jungle pools. Females of at least three species are known to bite humans.
Species of Scutomyia are not of medical and economic importance to humans.
The type species of Scutomyia is widely distributed in the Oriental and Australasian Regions, six species of the genus are known only from the Philippines and two are known only from Sulawesi.
Huang, 1979 (as Albolineatus Group of Aedes subgenus Stegomyia, taxonomy, keys); Reinert, 1985 (taxonomy); Reinert, 2000 (as subgenus of Aedes, female genitalia); ; Reinert et al., 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 (generic status, morphology, phylogeny); Rattanarithikul et al., 2010 (Thailand, keys, bionomics); Wilkerson et al., 2015 (as subgenus of Aedes, phylogeny); Soghigian et al., 2017 (as subgenus of Aedes, phylogenetic relationships).
