Bironella

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Bironella
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Subfamily: Anophelinae
Genus: Bironella
Theobald, 1905
Type species
Bironella gracilis
Theobald, 1905
Species

See text.

Bironella is one of the three mosquito genera in the subfamily Anophelinae. [1] Its species are found around New Guinea, from the Maluku Islands east to New Britain and south to northern Australia. [2] The other two genera in the subfamily are Anopheles , which has a nearly worldwide distribution, and Chagasia , which is found in the Neotropics. [3]

Contents

Description

Members of the genus Bironella resemble those of the genus Anopheles . They are described as "delicate insects" varying in colour from light to dark brown. Adults can be separated from Anopheles by the pattern of veins on their wings. Larvae are distinguished by the organization of hairs (chaetae) on their thorax. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Bironella is mainly found in the Papuan Subregion of Malesia, centred on New Guinea, although two species are also found in northern Australia. Bironella gracilis is the most widely distributed species, found from Ceram in the west to New Britain in the east. [2] Larvae and pupae are usually found in habitats such as the margins of pools, slow-flowing streams and swamps. Adults have rarely been collected or seen in the wild, but may be captured in Malaise traps in undisturbed forest. [4]

Species

The genus Bironella comprises eight described species, which may be divided into three subgenera: [2]

Phylogenetic relationships

The phylogenetic placement of the genus Bironella within the subfamily Anophelinae remains unclear as of January 2026. Based particularly on morphological evidence, Bironella appears to be the sister taxon to the genus Anopheles with Chagasia forming the outgroup. Other studies suggest that Bironella falls within the genus Anopheles. [5]

Disease transmission

The biting habits of adult members of the genus are not well known. Only one species, Bironella gracilis, has been reported to bite humans either in the wild or in laboratory studies. Unlike species of Anopheles, no evidence has been found that any Bironella species is involved in disease transmission. [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Foote, R. H. (1963-05-10). "The Mosquitoes of the South Pacific (Diptera, Culicidae). vols. 1 and 2. John N. Belkin. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1962. vol. 1, 620 pp.; vol. 2, 412 pp. Illus. $20" . Science. 140 (3567): 638–638. doi:10.1126/science.140.3567.638. ISSN   0036-8075.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tenorio, Joaquin A. (1977-11-30). "Revision of the Genus Bironella (Diptera: Culicidae)". Journal of Medical Entomology. 14 (3): 317–361. doi:10.1093/jmedent/14.3.317. ISSN   1938-2928.
  3. ↑ Rozeboom, Lloyd E. (1954-07-01). "The Anopheline Mosquitoes of the Indo-Australian Region" . The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 3 (4): 776–776. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1954.3.4.tm0030040776a. ISSN   0002-9637.
  4. 1 2 Harbach, R.E. (2013). "Bironella Theobald, 1905". Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  5. ↑ Foster, Peter G.; Marques Porangaba de Oliveira, Tatiane; Bergo, Eduardo S.; Conn, Jan E.; Sant'Ana, Denise Cristina; Sayuri Nagaki, Sandra; Nihei, Silvio; Einicker Lamas, Carlos; González, Christian; Moreira, Caio Cesar & Mureb Sallum, Maria Anice (2017), "Phylogeny of Anophelinae using mitochondrial protein coding genes", Royal Society Open Science, 4 170758, doi:10.1098/rsos.170758 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
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