- Culicidae » Culicinae » Culicini
- Representative species shown here: Deinocerites pseudes
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Genus-specific Diagnostic Characters, Adult Stage
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Name-bearing Type
- 1901b:235
- Type Species: Deinocerites cancer
Classification
- Subfamily Culicinae, tribe Culicini. Deinocerites includes 18 species that are not divided into subgenera. Navarro & Liria (2000) reduced Deinocerites to a subgenus of genus Culex based on a cladistic analysis of morphological features of larval mouthparts (mandibles and maxillae), but this is not accepted here because the study was based on limited character data.
Distribution
- Species of Deinocerites are primarily restricted to the Neotropical Region, but a few extend northward into the southern USA.
Phylogeny
- Valencia (1973) suggested that Deinocerites, as well as Culex (Carrollia) and the closely related genus Galindomyia, evolved from a primitive stock of subgenus Melanoconion of Culex. In the cladistic analysis of larval mandibles and maxillae conducted by Navarro & Liria (2000), Deinocerites fell within an unresolved polytomy with subgenera Anoedioporpa, Melanoconion and Microculex of genus Culex. Based on this relationship, Navarro & Liria proposed subgeneric status for Deinocerites in genus Culex, but this action has not been widely accepted because this group of species is diagnosed by many unique (autapomorphic) features in the immature and adult stages. Autapomorphies are a measure of (often rapid) divergence and adaptive radiation, which traditional taxonomists have intuitively taken into consideration when defining genera. The phylogenetic relationships of the species of Deinocerites have not been investigated.
Characteristics
- The adults of Deinocerites superficially resemble Culex mosquitoes. They differ in having the antennae much longer than the proboscis, the first flagellomere is remarkably long in most species and the maxillary palpi are very short. Deinocerites larvae are distinguished from other genera as follows: the head capsule is widest at the level of the antennae, the mandibles have a “hairy” lateral lobe that is unique for the genus, the pecten spines are bifid or trifid and the saddle of segment X is represented by widely separated dorsal and ventral sclerites. See Culicini.
Bionomics
- The larvae of all Deinocerites usually breed in crab-holes, but some species have been collected from other habitats, including post-holes, rock-holes, tree-holes and various artificial containers. Adults appear to be active after sundown and rest in crab-holes during the daylight hours. The feeding preferences of females are not well known, but some species feed on a variety of hosts, including humans and other mammals, birds, lizards, frogs and toads.
Medical
- Venezuelan and St. Louis equine encephalitis viruses have been isolated from Deinocerites pseudes, and laboratory studies have shown that this species is capable of transmitting these viruses. Nevertheless, species of Deinocerites are not important pests of humans and probably play little if any role in the transmission of pathogens.
Important References
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Included Taxa
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The materials presented in the Classification, Distribution, Phylogeny, Characteristics, Medical, and Important References sections, and links to subgenera, are reproduced with permission of Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory, moderated by Ralph Harbach on behalf of the contributors who retain copyright. For additional information on reuse parameters, please contact Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory. Images and maps, unless otherwise attributed, and links to the literature are provided by the WRBU. |