Culex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Culex
Culex quinquefasciatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Diptera Family: Culicidae Genus: Culex Linnaeus, 1758
Diversity
1216 species
Species
C. annulirostris C. antennatus C. jenseni C. pipiens C. pusillus C. quinquefasciatus C. rajah C. restuans C. salinarius C. tarsalis C. territans C. theileri C. tritaeniorhynchus many more

Culex is a genus of mosquito, and is important in that several species serve as vectors of important diseases, such as West Nile virus, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis and avian malaria.

The adult mosquito can measure from 4–10 mm (0.16–0.4 in.), and morphologically has the three body parts common to insects: head, thorax, and abdomen. As a fly, it has one pair of wings.

Contents 1 Life cycle 2 Diversity 3 Subgenera 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links

[edit] Life cycle

The developmental cycle takes two weeks and is by complete metamorphosis. Eggs are laid singularly or in batches, depending on the species. Eggs will only hatch in the presence of water. During the larval stage the mosquito lives in water and feeds on organic matter and plants, then develops into a pupa. The pupa is comma-shaped and also lives in water. It does not feed and becomes an adult after one or two days.

[edit] Diversity

There are a large number of Culex species. In Panama alone, 88 species were described by 1955.

[edit] Subgenera

• Acalleomyia
• Acallyntrum
• Aedinus
• Afroculex
• Allimanta
• Anoedioporpa
• Barraudius
• Belkinomyia
• Carrollia
• Culex
• Culiciomyia
• Eumelanomyia
• Kitzmilleria
• Lasiosiphon
• Lophoceraomyia
• Maillotia
• Melanoconion
• Micraedes
• Microculex
• Neoculex
• Oculeomyia
• Phenacomyia
• Sirivanakarnius
• Tinolestes

[edit] References

• MosquitoCatalog

[edit] Further reading

• Galindo P, Blanton FS (1955). "An annotated list of the Culex of Panama (Diptera, Culicidae)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 57 (2): 68–74. http://www.mosquitocatalog.org/pdfs/045800-1.PDF.  — with links to publications

[edit] External links

• Systematic Catalog of the Culicidae: List of Culex species
• VectorBase homepage for Culex pipiens (genome browser, downloads and more)
• Culex (Culex) nigripalpus Theobald on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
• Culex quinquefasciatus Say, southern house mosquito on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
• Culex pipiens at MetaPathogen: facts, life cycle
• Mosquito Chapter in the National Public Health Pesticide Applicator Training Manual