| Culex territans | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Genus: | Culex |
| Species: | C. territans |
| Binomial name | |
| Culex territans Walker, 1856 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Culex territans, or the Northern Frog-Biting Mosquito, is a species of mosquito found throughout North America, Europe, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. [1] [2] [3]
Adult female Culex territans overwinter in protected, humid, underground environments like caves. [4] In northern Europe, overwintering females are found in caves together with Culex pipiens , Culex torrentium , and Culiseta annulata . [5]
Larvae can be found in clean ponds with plenty of vegetation. [4]
Females of this species can feed on many vertebrates, but most frequently feed on reptiles and amphibians, preferring frogs. [6] [2] [7] [8]
This species is attracted to the calls of frogs. [7] Light is necessary for host-seeking as they do not feed in complete darkness. [9] Body temperature is not an important cue in host-seeking, which makes sense as their primary hosts are ectothermic. [10]
Since they mainly feed on frogs, they do not pose a direct threat to human health in terms of vectoring pathogens. However, they have been found to be infected with West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus and may occasionally feed on humans, so they can potentially be of public health concern. [2]
Adult female Cx. territans have been found to harbor various pathogens such as anuran trypanosomes, ranaviruses, and filarial worms. [2] It has also been shown capable of mechanically transmitting the spores of chytrid fungus between frogs. [8]
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a family of small flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word mosquito is Spanish and Portuguese for little fly. Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, one pair of wings, three pairs of long hair-like legs, and specialized, highly elongated, piercing-sucking mouthparts. All mosquitoes drink nectar from flowers; females of some species have in addition adapted to drink blood. The group diversified during the Cretaceous period. Evolutionary biologists view mosquitoes as micropredators, small animals that parasitise larger ones by drinking their blood without immediately killing them. Medical parasitologists view mosquitoes instead as vectors of disease, carrying protozoan parasites or bacterial or viral pathogens from one host to another.
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.
Culex or typical mosquitoes are a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis, or St. Louis encephalitis, but also filariasis and avian malaria. They occur worldwide except for the extreme northern parts of the temperate zone, and are the most common form of mosquito encountered in some major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles.
Culex (Culex) tritaeniorhynchus is a species of mosquito and is the main vector of the disease Japanese encephalitis. This mosquito is a native of northern Asia, and parts of Africa. Females target large animals for blood extraction, including cattle and swine, and are strongly anthropophilic.
The discipline of medical entomology, or public health entomology, and also veterinary entomology is focused upon insects and arthropods that impact human health. Veterinary entomology is included in this category, because many animal diseases can "jump species" and become a human health threat, for example, bovine encephalitis. Medical entomology also includes scientific research on the behavior, ecology, and epidemiology of arthropod disease vectors, and involves a tremendous outreach to the public, including local and state officials and other stake holders in the interest of public safety.
The London Underground mosquito, Culex pipiens f. molestus, is a form of mosquito which assaulted people sleeping in the London Underground railway system during the Blitz. It has a worldwide distribution and long predates the existence of the London Underground. It was first described in the 18th century based on Egyptian specimens by the biologist Peter Forsskål (1732–1763). He named it Culex molestus due to its voracious biting, but later biologists reclassified it as Culex pipiens f. molestus because there were no morphological differences between it and Culex pipiens.
Culex pipiens is a species of mosquito commonly referred to as the common house mosquito or northern house mosquito. Native to Africa, Asia and Europe, it is now widely distributed in temperate regions on every continent except Antarctica and is one of the most common mosquitoes found in human habitats in temperate parts of the northern hemisphere. A major vector of some viruses, it can be abundant in cities, especially those with poor wastewater management. It is the most common mosquito to the northern regions of the US. Culex pipiens is the type species for the genus Culex.
Culex restuans is a species of mosquito known to occur in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Bahamas. It is a disease vector for St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus. In 2013 West Nile Virus positive specimens were collected in Southern California.
Corethrellidae are a family of biting midges, small flying insects belonging to the order Diptera, females of which feed on the blood of frogs. The members of the family are sometimes known as frog-biting midges. The family currently consists of just one genus, totalling 115 extant and 10 fossil species worldwide. Most extant species are found in the lower latitudes, usually associated around the tropics.
Aedes canadensis, the woodland pool mosquito, is an aggressive, day biting mosquito that can be a vector of a number of diseases which is found mainly in eastern North America.
Aedes vittatus is a species of mosquito that was first described in 1861 as Culex vittatus from specimens collected on Corsica. In 2000, the species was transferred to the newly erected subgenus Fredwardsius as the type species representing the subgenus.
Aedes koreicus, the Korean bush mosquito is a species of mosquito in the genus Aedes. The adults are relatively large with a black and white pattern on their legs and other body parts. Clear longitudinal lines on the dorsal part of the thorax distinguish it from Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. The species bears close morphological, ecological, and genetic similarity to the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus, but can be physically distinguished by a pale basal band on the hind tarsomere.
Uranotaenia lateralis is a species of zoophilic mosquito in the family Culicidae. It is found in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor, and Vietnam. They are known to live in crab holes, prefer to live around banks of water pools and are known to feed on mudskippers.
Culiseta annulata is a species of mosquito in the family Culicidae. It is found in the Palearctic.
Orthopodomyia is a genus of mosquitoes in the family Culicidae. There are at least 40 described species in Orthopodomyia.
Culex marksae is a species of mosquito in the subgenus Lophoceraomyia first circumscribed in 1955 by Willard V. King and Harry Hoogstraal. The specific epithet honors Dr. Elizabeth N. Marks whose research and writings "added a great deal to the knowledge of Australasian Culicidae."
Toxorhynchites rutilus, also known as the elephant mosquito or treehole predatory mosquito, is a species of mosquito in the family Culicidae. Unlike most species in the genus that populate the tropics, Tx. rutilus is endemic to temperate regions. As their name suggests, these mosquitoes commonly lay their eggs in treeholes where their larvae are predators on a variety of arthropods. As with other mosquitoes, they also inhabit other bodies of stagnant water such as in a tire or artificial containers. but not large bodies of water like ponds and ground pools. Females are able to strategically locate breeding sites that already contain prey to oviposit in.
Deinocerites is a genus of mosquitoes in the family Culicidae. There are about 18 described species in Deinocerites.
Aedes taeniorhynchus, or the black salt marsh mosquito, is a mosquito in the family Culicidae. It is a carrier for encephalitic viruses including Venezuelan equine encephalitis and can transmit Dirofilaria immitis. It resides in the Americas and is known to bite mammals, reptiles, and birds. Like other mosquitoes, Ae. taeniorhynchus adults survive on a combination diet of blood and sugar, with females generally requiring a blood meal before laying eggs.
Culex torrentium is a species of mosquito in the family Culicidae. This species has a wide distribution in the temperate Palaearctic region.