''Aedes capensis'' is a species 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 ...

primarily found in forests in

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 ...

Classification

''Aedes capensis'' is one of 9 species in the subgenus ''Albuginosus'', which is only present in Africa.

Distribution

''Aedes capensis'' has been recorded from South Africa, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda."White GB. 1980. Family Culicidae. In Catalogue of the Diptera of the Afrotropical Region. Ed. Crosskey RW. British Museum (Natural History), London."

Biology

The

larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...

of ''Ae. capensis'' are primarily found in tree-holes."Muspratt J. 1953, Research on common South African Culicini. II. Taxonomy relating to eight species of ''Aedes''. Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa. 16(2): 83-93." They have also been collected from banana axils "Cordellier R, Geoffroy B. 1974. Contribution a l'etude des culicides de la Republique Centrafricaine. Rythmes d'activites en secteur preforestier. Cah. ORSTOM, ser. Ent. med. et Parasitol. 12(1): 19-48." and rock holes."Garnham PCC, Harper JO, Highton RB. 1946. The mosquitos of the Kaimosi forest, Kenya Colony, with special reference to yellow fever. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 36(4): 473-496." The eggs have been collected in bamboo pots (ovitraps)."Kemp A, Jupp PG. 1991. Potential for dengue in South Africa: Mosquito ecology with particular reference to ''Aedes aegypti''. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 7(4): 574-583." Adults are rarely collected in human landing catches."Haddow AJ. 1960. Studies on the biting habits and medical importance of East african mosquitoes of the genus ''Aedes''. I. Subgenera ''Aedimorphus'', ''Banksinella'', and ''Dunnius''. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 50:759-779. In human landing catches in Kenya, ''Ae. capensis'' were only collected in forest habitats, not in peridomestic or domestic settings."Ellis BR, Wesson DM, Sang RC. 2007. Spatiotemporal distribution of diurnal yellow fever vectors (Diptera: Culicidae) at two sylvan interfaces in Kenya, East Africa. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. 7(2): 129-142."

Medical importance

As it seems ''A. capensis'' do not commonly bite humans, it is unlikely that they are important in transmitting diseases to humans. However, the bloodfeeding habits of this species should be investigated further to see if it plays a role in the maintenance of

zoonosis A zoonosis (; plural zoonoses) or zoonotic disease is an infectious disease of humans caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a virus, bacterium, parasite, fungi, or prion) that can jump from a non-human vertebrate to a human. When ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q14573640, from2=Q4712734 capensis Insects described in 1924