Aedes africanus

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Aedes africanus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Genus: Aedes
Species:
A. africanus
Binomial name
Aedes africanus
(Theobald, 1901)
Synonyms

Stegomyia africanus

Aedes africanus is a species of mosquito that is found on the continent of Africa with the exclusion of Madagascar. [1] Aedes aegypti and Aedes africanus are the two main yellow fever vector species in Zambia. [2] Aedes africanus is mainly found in tropical forests not near wetlands. [3]

Contents

Identification

This mosquito has distinct white and black stripes along its body which help differentiate the genus from others in this family. [4] Females of this species are ectoparasites and can most often be found on mammals living in the tropical forests of Africa. [4] The africanus species can be distinguished from other mosquitoes in the genus Aedes by having white scales on the maxillary palpi, scutum with a patch of large white scales, and 3 large white patches on the mid-femur. [4]

Life cycle

The lifecycle of mosquitoes in the Aedes genus. Culex mosquito life cycle en.svg
The lifecycle of mosquitoes in the Aedes genus.

This species lays its eggs in holes in trees, cut bamboo, bamboo stumps, and tree forks. [4] [5] In laboratory settings, it was observed that the larvae hatch best at 27 °C and the quantity of water was not a factor in embryonic development but was most often laid within 2 cm of the water surface. [3]

Aedes africanus adults are crepuscular feeders, meaning they feed from dusk to dawn. [6] Although this species is a vector for many diseases, because it is mainly found in forests, primates are its main source of blood meals. [6] Early studies of its populations suggest that when sampled in forested areas, it made up 95% of the caught species and only 50% in surrounding villages. [7] When populations are high enough, Toxorhynchites mosquitoes can be brought in as a biological control as they parasitize africanus larvae in the shared breeding habitat. [8]

Medical importance

Very closely related to Aedes africanus, this Aedes aegypti mosquito is also a very important vector of the yellow fever virus. Aedes aegypti bloodfeeding CDC Gathany.jpg
Very closely related to Aedes africanus, this Aedes aegypti mosquito is also a very important vector of the yellow fever virus.

This species of mosquito is an essential yellow fever vector in wooded habitats. [3] In addition to being a major vector of yellow fever, Aedes africanus also vectors pathogens such as dengue virus, West Nile virus, and Rift Valley fever virus. [1] [9] It is also a vector of Zika virus, the causal agent of Zika fever. [10]

Related Research Articles

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Aedes albopictus, from the mosquito (Culicidae) family, also known as the (Asian) tiger mosquito or forest mosquito, is a mosquito native to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia. In the past few centuries, however, this species has spread to many countries through the transport of goods and international travel. It is characterized by the white bands on its legs and body.

<i>Aedes</i> Genus of mosquitoes

Aedes is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except perhaps Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: Aedes albopictus, a particularly invasive species, was spread to the New World, including the United States, in the 1980s, by the used-tire trade.

<i>Toxorhynchites</i> Genus of flies

Toxorhynchites, also called elephant mosquito or mosquito eater, is a genus of diurnal and often relatively colorful mosquitoes, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in forests. It includes the largest known species of mosquito, at up to 18 mm (0.71 in) in length and 24 mm (0.94 in) in wingspan. It is among the many kinds of mosquito that do not consume blood. The adults subsist on carbohydrate-rich materials, such as honeydew, or saps and juices from damaged plants, refuse, fruit, and nectar.

<i>Aedes aegypti</i> Species of mosquito

Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the upper surface of its thorax. This mosquito originated in Africa, but is now found in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world.

<i>Aedes vexans</i> Species of fly

Aedes vexans, the inland floodwater mosquito or tomguito, is a cosmopolitan and common pest mosquito. This species has been collected in southern California.

Haemagogus is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America, although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern Argentina. In the Rio Grande Do Sul area of Brazil, one species, H. leucocelaenus, has been found carrying yellow fever virus. Several species have a distinct metallic sheen.

Aedes capensis is a species of mosquito primarily found in forests in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Aedes pembaensis is a mosquito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Yap Islands Zika virus outbreak</span>

The 2007 Yap Islands Zika virus outbreak represented the first time Zika virus had been detected outside Africa and Asia. It occurred in the Yap Islands, an island chain in the Federated States of Micronesia. Zika virus (ZIKV) is a vector-borne flavivirus in the same family as yellow fever, dengue, West Nile and Japanese encephalitis viruses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zika Forest</span> Tropical forest in Uganda

The ZikaForest is a tropical forest near Entebbe in Uganda. Ziika means 'overgrown' in the Luganda language. As the property of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) of Entebbe, it is protected and restricted to scientific research.

Aedes hensilli is a mosquito species originally collected in 1945 on Ulithi atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap State. It is the most abundant and widespread Aedes (Stegomyia) species mosquito in Yap State, the only Aedes (Stegomyia) species on Woleai, and the only species of mosquito present on Eauripik.

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<i>Aedes japonicus</i> Species of fly

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Toxorhynchites (Toxorhynchites) splendens is a species of non-hematophagous mosquito belonging to the genus Toxorhynchites. It is widely used as a predator to control dengue mosquitoes.

Aedes scapularis is a species of mosquito primarily found in neo-tropical regions of the Americas.

Aedes circumluteolus is a species of mosquito that is found throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is often found in tropical coastal lowlands and Bushveld savanna.

References

  1. 1 2 Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Systematic Catalog of Culicidae, "Systematic Catalog of Culicidae". Archived from the original on 2015-11-29. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  2. Masaninga, F.; Muleba, M.; Masendu, H.; Songolo, P.; Mweene-Ndumba, I.; Mazaba-Liwewe, M.; Kamuliwo, M.; Ameneshewa, B.; Siziya, S.; Babaniyi, O. (2014). "Distribution of yellow fever vectors in the Northwestern and Western provinces, Zambia". Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine. 7 (1): S88–S92. doi: 10.1016/s1995-7645(14)60210-8 . PMID   25312199.
  3. 1 2 3 Sempala, S (1981). "Some laboratory observations on the biology of Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus". Insect Science and Its Application. 2 (3): 189–195. doi:10.1017/s1742758400001004. S2CID   86550085.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Huang, Y (1990). "The subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes in the Afrotropical region. I. The africanus group of species (Diptera: Culicidae)". Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 26 (1): 3–90.
  5. Schaeffer, B.; Mondet, B.; Touzeau, S. (2008). "Using a climate-dependent model to predict mosquito abundance: Application to Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus and Aedes (Diceromyia) furcifer (Diptera: Culicidae)". Genetics and Evolution. 8 (4): 422–432. doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2007.07.002. PMID   17698422.
  6. 1 2 Ross, R.; Gillett, J. (1950). "The cyclical transmission of yellow fever virus through the Grivet monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops centralis Neumann, and the Mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus Theobald". Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 44 (4): 351–356. doi:10.1080/00034983.1950.11685460. PMID   24539937.
  7. Bang, Y.; Brown, D.; Arata, A. (1980). "Ecological studies on Aedes africanus (Diptera: Culicidae) and associated species in southeastern Nigeria". Journal of Medical Entomology. 17 (5): 411–416. doi:10.1093/jmedent/17.5.411. PMID   6893470.
  8. Sempala, S (1982). "Interactions between immature Aedes africanus (Theobald) and larvae of two predatory species of Toxorhynchites (Diptera: Culicidae) in Zika Forest, Uganda". Bulletin of Entomological Research. 73 (1): 19–24. doi:10.1017/s0007485300013754.
  9. Work | IANPHI | Atlanta, GA
  10. Hayes, Edward B. (2009). "Zika Virus Outside Africa". Emerging Infectious Diseases . 15 (9): 1347–1350. doi:10.3201/eid1509.090442. PMC   2819875 . PMID   19788800.