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Culicidae > Culicinae > Culicini

Distribution
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d‘Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djbouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Luxembourg, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mariana Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Distribution map

Synonyms
None

Bionomics
Culex larvae occur primarily in semi-permanent or permanent bodies of ground water, but a large number of species live exclusively in leaf axils, tree-holes, rock-holes, and crab-holes. Some utilize artificial containers as well as the normal ground-water habitats. A few species, including the filarial vector Cx. quinquefasciatus, are found in organically polluted waters. Culex females mainly bite at night. Many species attack humans and other mammals. Some species are known to feed on birds and some are known to feed on amphibians and reptiles.

Important References >>		 habitus image Representative species shown here:
Culex pipiens

Genus-specific Diagnostic Characters, Adult Stage:
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1. Pulvilli present,
2. Flagellomere 1 less than twice as long as flagellomere 2.

Recommended characters:
3. Prespiracular setae absent,
4. Base of hindcoxa distinctly ventral to base of mesomeron.

Medical Importance
Several species of the subgenera Culex and Melanoconion are of medical importance. Melanoconion mainly occurs in the Neotropical Region, with some species reaching northward into the USA. Several species of the subgenus are important vectors of encephalitis and other arboviruses. The subgenus Culex has species in all zoogeographic regions, and contains most of the medically important and pest species of the genus. Culex fuscocephala, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, and Cx. vishnui transmit Japanese encephalitis virus in the Oriental Region and Cx. tarsalis, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. restuans, and Cx. pipiens are recognized vectors of encephalitis viruses in North America. Murray Valley encephalitis and Ross River viruses in Australia is spread by Cx. annulirostris. Three closely related species, Cx. univittatus, Cx. neavei, and Cx. perexiguus, transmit West Nile virus in Africa. Rift Valley fever virus is transmitted by Cx. pipiens in Egypt and Cx. theileri in southern Africa. A few species of the subgenus, especially Cx. quinquefasciatus, are important vectors of Wuchereria bancrofti in the tropics. Culex pipiens and Cx. antennatus are important vectors of filarial worms in Egypt. Some species of the genus may be involved in the transmission of Brugia malayi.

Genus-specific Diagnostic Characters, Larval Stage >>