''Aedeomyia'' is a genus of

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

es in the family

Culicidae Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

, comprising seven recognized species. These mosquitoes are distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. Certain species, notably ''A. squamipennis'', are vectors of

arbovirus Arbovirus is an informal name for any virus that is Transmission (medicine), transmitted by arthropod Vector (epidemiology), vectors. The term ''arbovirus'' is a portmanteau word (''ar''thropod-''bo''rne ''virus''). ''Tibovirus'' (''ti''ck-''bo ...

es such as the Gamboa virus and potentially the

Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus is a mosquito-borne viral pathogen that causes Venezuelan equine encephalitis or encephalomyelitis (VEE). VEE can affect all equine species, such as horses, donkeys, and zebras. After infection, equines may ...

, underscoring their medical significance.

Description

''Aedeomyia'' mosquitoes are distinguished by their broad scales and unique antennal structures. Females possess stout antennal flagellomeres, while males exhibit thickened apical flagellomeres. The larvae are identifiable by their swollen, strongly curved antennae, which exceed the length of the head capsule—a key diagnostic trait.

Distribution

Species of ''Aedeomyia'' inhabit tropical and subtropical zones across multiple biogeographical regions: - Afrotropical:

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

(e.g., ''A. africana''). - Australasian:

and nearby islands (e.g., ''A. venustipes''). - Nearctic:

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

(recently, ''A. squamipennis'' in Florida, USA). - Neotropical:

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, including the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

(e.g., ''A. squamipennis''). - Oriental:

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

and parts of

. Notably, ''A. squamipennis'', originally endemic to Central and South America, has expanded its range into Florida, USA, as documented in recent studies.

Species

The genus ''Aedeomyia'' includes the following seven species: * '' Aedeomyia africana'' Neveu-Lemaire, 1906 * '' Aedeomyia catasticta'' Knab, 1909 * '' Aedeomyia furfurea'' ( Enderlein, 1923) * ''

Aedeomyia madagascarica ''Aedeomyia'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the family Culicidae, comprising seven recognized species. These mosquitoes are distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Certain ...

'' Brunhes, Boussès & Ramos, 2011 * '' Aedeomyia pauliani'' Grjebine, 1953 * '' Aedeomyia squamipennis'' (Lynch Arribalzaga, 1878) * '' Aedeomyia venustipes'' ( Skuse, 1889)

Biology

''Aedeomyia'' mosquitoes are primarily nocturnal, becoming active after sunset. They predominantly feed on birds in forest canopies, though species like ''A. africana'' and ''A. furfurea'' have been recorded biting humans, particularly in forested areas. The larvae develop in shaded, freshwater habitats with abundant floating vegetation—such as ponds containing ''Pistia'' or ''Salvinia'', or tree holes—often alongside other mosquito genera like ''Aedes'', ''Culex'', and ''Uranotaenia''.

Medical Importance

Several ''Aedeomyia'' species are vectors of medically significant arboviruses: * ''A. squamipennis'': Transmits the Gamboa virus (a

bunyavirus ''Bunyaviricetes'' is a class of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses with mainly tripartite genomes. Member viruses infect arthropods, plants, protozoans, and vertebrates. The name ''Bunyaviricetes'' derives from Bunyamwera, where the virus B ...

) and is suspected to carry the

Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus is a mosquito-borne viral pathogen that causes Venezuelan equine encephalitis or encephalomyelitis (VEE). VEE can affect all equine species, such as horses, donkeys, and zebras. After infection, equines may ...

(VEE) virus (an alphavirus), which can cause

encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, aphasia, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include se ...

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...

and

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

. It is also linked to

avian malaria Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds, caused by parasite species belonging to the genera ''Plasmodium'' and '' Hemoproteus'' (phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporidia, family Plasmoiidae). The disease is transmitted by a dipteran vector in ...

transmission. * ''A. catasticta'': Carries the Alfuy virus (a

flavivirus ''Flavivirus'', renamed ''Orthoflavivirus'' in 2023, is a genus of positive-strand RNA viruses in the family ''Flaviviridae''. The genus includes the West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, Zika viru ...

) in

, related to the

Murray Valley encephalitis virus Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a zoonotic flavivirus endemic to northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. It is the causal agent of Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE; previously known as Australian encephalitis or Australian X disease). ...

. These associations emphasize the genus's role in public health and veterinary medicine.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2825508 Culicinae Mosquito genera Diptera of Africa Diptera of Asia Taxa named by Frederick Vincent Theobald