Culex malariager

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Culex malariager
Culex malariager in Dominican amber.jpg
Culex malariager in Dominican amber
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Genus: Culex
Species:
†C. malariager
Binomial name
†Culex malariager
Poinar, 2005

Culex malariager is an extinct species of mosquito in the genus Culex. It is the first recorded appearance of a mosquito infected by malarial parasites. [1]

The female mosquito was found embedded in amber from the La Toca amber mine in the Dominican Republic, between Puerto Plata and Santiago. The amber, which is trapezoidal and weighs 2 grams, dates back to the Cenozoic era. [2] It was identified as a vector of the parasite Plasmodium dominicana. [2] The vertebrate host of P. dominicana is assumed to be avian. [3]

Description

The holotype female specimen is mostly complete, but many scales and bristles are detached. Only three of the legs—both forelegs and one of the midlegs—are attached to the body. [2]

Culex malariager is a small mosquito, measuring 4.1 mm in length. The head itself is 0.59 mm by 0.66 mm. Thorax and abdomen are 1.2 mm and 2.3 mm respectively. [2]

References

  1. ↑ Roche, John (18 March 2016). "Did the Malaria Parasite First Evolve in the Insect Vector or the Vertebrate Host?".
  2. 1 2 3 4 Poinar, George (July 2005). "Culex malariager, N. sp (Diptera : Culicidae) from Dominican amber: The first fossil mosquito vector of plasmodium". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 107: 548–553.
  3. ↑ Poinar Jr., George (May 2005). "Plasmodium dominicana n. sp. (Plasmodiidae: Haemospororida) from Tertiary Dominican amber". Systematic Parasitology. 61: 47–52.
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