Culex quinquefasciatus(originally namedCulex fatigans), commonly known as thesouthern house mosquito,is a medium-sized mosquito found intropicalandsubtropicalregions of the world. It is avectorofWuchereria bancrofti,avian malaria,andarbovirusesincludingSt. Louis encephalitis virus,Western equine encephalitis virus,Zika virus[1]andWest Nile virus.[2][3]It is taxonomically regarded as a member of theCulex pipiensspecies complex.[4][5]Itsgenome was sequencedin 2010, and was shown to have 18,883 protein-coding genes.[6]
| Culex quinquefasciatus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Genus: | Culex |
| Species: | C. quinquefasciatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Culex quinquefasciatus Say,1823
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| Synonyms | |
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Etymology
editAmerican entomologistThomas SaydescribedCulex quinquefasciatus,which he collected along theMississippi River,in 1823. Originally written as "C. 5-fasciatus", the name refers to five (quinque) black, broad, transverse bands ( "fasciatus" or "fasciae" ) on the mosquito's dorsal abdomen. The name remains despite later revelations of more than five fasciae, thanks to improved microscopy. Althoughquinquefasciatusis the official scientific name, there are at least five synonymous names for this species.[7]
Taxonomy
editCx. quinquefasciatusis a member of theCulex pipiensspecies complex.[4][5]Smith et al. 2004 develop an assay specifically for this complex and use it to confirm that it does encompass this species.[4]
Description
editThe adultC. quinquefasciatusis a medium-sized mosquito and is brown in colour. The body is about 3.96 to 4.25 mm long. While the main body is brown, theproboscis,thorax,wings,andtarsiare darker than the rest of the body. Theheadis light brown, with the lightest portion in the center. Theantennaeand the proboscis are about the same length, but in some cases, the antennae are slightly shorter than the proboscis. Theflagellumhas 13segmentsthat may have few or noscales.The scales of the thorax are narrow and curved. Theabdomenhas pale, narrow, rounded bands on the basal side of eachtergite.Males can be differentiated from females in having largepalpsand feathery antennae.[8]
Thelarvahas a short and stout head. The mouth brushes have long yellow filaments used for filtering organic materials. The abdomen consists of eight segments, thesiphon,and thesaddle.Each segment has a uniquesetaepattern. The siphon is on the dorsal side of the abdomen, and is four times longer than its breadth. The siphon has multiple setae tufts. The saddle is barrel-shaped and located on the ventral side of the abdomen, with four long anal papillae protruding from the posterior end.[2]
Lifecycle
editMatureC. quinquefasciatusfemales fly at night to nutrient-rich standing water to lay eggs. They breed profusely in dirty water collections, including stagnant drains, cesspools, septic tanks with leaks, burrow pits, and almost all organic polluted water collections. A single female can lay up to fiveraftsof eggs in a lifetime, with each raft containing 100 to 300 eggs.[9]The exact number varies depending on climatic conditions.[2]The larvae feed on organic material in the water and require between five and eight days to complete their development at 30 °C (86 °F). The larvae pass through four larvalinstars,and towards the end of the fourth instar, they stop eating and undergo moulting to give rise topupae.After 36 hours at 27 °C (81 °F), adults emerge. The exact timing of development can vary depending on temperature. In optimum temperature and humidity, the lifecycle will be completed in seven days, passing through the egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages.[citation needed]
Both male and female adults take sugar meals from plants. After mating, the female seeks a blood meal from a mammal or bird, as ingested blood is necessary for egg development.C. quinquefasciatusshows a preference for the blood of birds, but will also commonly bite humans.[10]
Hosts
editKnown hosts includebirds(Aves),cattle(Bos taurus),dogs(Canis familiaris),Equusincludingdonkeys(E. asinus),cats(Felis),mice(Mus musculus),house sparrows(Passer domesticus),rats(Rattus)andboars(Sus scrofa).[11]
Distribution
edit"Quinx" are among the world's most abundant peridomestic mosquitoes, earning the nickname "southern house mosquito". The species' place of origin is uncertain. It may have been native to the lowlands of West Africa, or to Southeast Asia.[11]Cx. quinquefasciatusis now found throughout subtropical and tropical areas worldwide, including the Americas, Australia and New Zealand,[12]except for exceedingly dry or cold regions. Thomas Say described the species as "exceedingly numerous and troublesome". It rests in trees and high places.[10]
As a vector
editThe southern house mosquito is a principal vector of numerous pathogens, transmitting the phlebovirus Rift Valley fever virus, and the two flaviviruses St. Louis encephalitis virus and West Nile virus, plus filarial worms and avian malarial parasites.[7]
It transmitszoonotic diseasesthat affect humans and wild and domestic animals, such aslymphatic filariasis,avian malaria,St. Louis encephalitis,Western equine encephalitis,andWest Nile fever,and may be avectorof theZika virus.[13]It causes infection through biting during blood meal. In the southern U.S., it is the primary vector of St. Louis encephalitis virus. In India and Southeast Asia, it is the primary vector ofWuchereria bancrofti,a nematode that causeslymphatic filariasis.It acts as an intermediate host for the helminth parasite by harbouring the larval stages.[14]InHawaii,it is the principal vector of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum),to which historic extinctions and significant contemporary population declines in Hawaii's nativehoneycreeperspecies are attributed. It is the definitive host for the malarial parasite as it harbours the sexual cycle.[15]In 2013 West Nile Virus positive specimens were collected in Southern California. Now, people have to stop the invasive spread to save the native birds.[16][failed verification]
References
edit- ^Nolen, Stephanie (July 21, 2016).‘Very bad news for Brazil’: Zika virus found in second mosquito species.The Globe and Mail.
- ^abcHill, Stephanie; Connelly, Roxanne (2009)."Features Creatures: Southern house mosquito".University of Florida.Retrieved19 March2014.
- ^Sandhu TS, Williams GA, Haynes BW, Dhillon MS. Evaluation of arboviral activity at Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District, Riverside County, California during 2008. Proc and Papers of the Mosq and Vector Control Assoc of Calif, vol 77, 2009. p. 108-15.
- ^abcHarbach, Ralph E. (2012). "Culex pipiens:Species Versus Species Complex – Taxonomic History and Perspective ".Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association.28(4s). TheAmerican Mosquito Control Association:10–23.doi:10.2987/8756-971x-28.4.10.ISSN8756-971X.PMID23401941.S2CID31007129.
- ^abTurell, MJ (2012). "Members of theCulex pipienscomplex as vectors of viruses ".Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association.28(4 Suppl): 123–6.doi:10.2987/8756-971X-28.4.123.PMID23401952.
- ^Arensburger, P.; Megy, K.; Waterhouse, R. M.; Abrudan, J.; Amedeo, P.; Antelo, B.; Bartholomay, L.; Bidwell, S.; Caler, E.; Camara, F.; Campbell, C. L.; Campbell, K. S.; Casola, C.; Castro, M. T.; Chandramouliswaran, I.; Chapman, S. B.; Christley, S.; Costas, J.; Eisenstadt, E.; Feschotte, C.; Fraser-Liggett, C.; Guigo, R.; Haas, B.; Hammond, M.; Hansson, B. S.; Hemingway, J.; Hill, S. R.; Howarth, C.; Ignell, R.; Kennedy, R. C.; Kodira, C. D.; Lobo, N. F.; Mao, C.; Mayhew, G.; Michel, K.; Mori, A.; Liu, N.; Naveira, H.; Nene, V.; Nguyen, N.; Pearson, M. D.; Pritham, E. J.; Puiu, D.; Qi, Y.; Ranson, H.; Ribeiro, J. M. C.; Roberston, H. M.; Severson, D. W.; Shumway, M.; Stanke, M.; Strausberg, R. L.; Sun, C.; Sutton, G.; Tu, Z.; Tubio, J. M. C.; Unger, M. F.; Vanlandingham, D. L.; Vilella, A. J.; White, O.; White, J. R.; Wondji, C. S.; Wortman, J.; Zdobnov, E. M.; Birren, B.; Christensen, B. M.; Collins, F. H.; Cornel, A.; Dimopoulos, G.; Hannick, L. I.; Higgs, S.; Lanzaro, G. C.; Lawson, D.; Lee, N. H.; Muskavitch, M. A. T.; Raikhel, A. S.; Atkinson, P. W. (2010)."Sequencing ofCulex quinquefasciatusEstablishes a Platform for Mosquito Comparative Genomics ".Science.330(6000): 86–88.doi:10.1126/science.1191864.PMC3740384.PMID20929810.
- ^abGuagliard, Sarah Anne J.; Levine, Rebecca S. (August 2021)."Etymologia:Culex quinquefasciatus".Emerg Infect Dis.27(8): 2041.doi:10.3201/eid2708.et2708.PMC8314802.RetrievedSeptember 2,2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^"Brown House Mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus) ".OzAnimals.Retrieved19 March2014.
- ^"Culex Mosquito Life Cycle | CDC".Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.2022-07-12.Retrieved2023-07-15.
- ^abPrada, Paulo (2016)."Research indicates another common mosquito may be able to carry Zika".Reuters.
- ^ab"Culex quinquefasciatus(southern house mosquito) ".Invasive Species Compendium.CAB International.Retrieved6 January2022.
- ^"Southern house mosquito –Culex quinquefasciatusSay ".Featured Creatures.University of Florida.Retrieved6 January2022.
- ^Kathy Keatley Garvey. 2016. "Are Culex Mosquitoes Potential Vectors of the Zika Virus?",Bug Squad, Happenings in the Insect World, March 2, 2016.
- ^Albuquerque, Cleide MR; Cavalcanti, Vânia MS; Melo, Maria Alice V; Verçosa, Paulo; Regis, Lêda N; Hurd, Hilary (1999)."Bloodmeal microfilariae density and the uptake and establishment of Wuchereria bancrofti infections inCulex quinquefasciatusandAedes aegypti".Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.94(5): 591–596.doi:10.1590/S0074-02761999000500005.PMID10464399.
- ^Farajollahi, Ary; Fonseca, Dina M.; Kramer, Laura D.; Marm Kilpatrick, A. (October 2011).""Bird biting" mosquitoes and human disease: A review of the role ofCulex pipienscomplex mosquitoes in epidemiology ".Infection, Genetics and Evolution.11(7): 1577–1585.doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2011.08.013.PMC3190018.PMID21875691.
- ^Sandhu, Tejbir S.; Williams, Gregory W.; Haynes, Bryan W.; Dhillon, Major S. (2013)."Population dynamics of blood-fed female mosquitoes and comparative efficacy of resting boxes in collecting them from the northwestern part of riverside county, California".Journal of Global Infectious Diseases.5(1): 15–18.doi:10.4103/0974-777X.107168.ISSN0974-777X.PMC3628227.PMID23599612.
External links
edit
Data related toCulex quinquefasciatusat Wikispecies
Media related toCulex quinquefasciatusat Wikimedia Commons- "Culex quinquefasciatus".VectorBase.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-07-18.
- Disease monger
- Identification guide at University of Florida
- NSW Arbovirus Surveillance & Vector Monitoring ProgramArchived2020-03-16 at theWayback Machine
- Taxonomy at UniProt
