Belongs within: Culicidae.
Culex is a large genus of mosquitoes, a number of species of which are significant disease vectors. Females of Culex species lay eggs in rafts of large numbers of eggs, up to 200 at a time.
Larvae of the subgenus Lutzia are predatory and have a relatively longer siphon than those of other subgenera. Adults of Lutzia differ from other Culex species in their high number of lower mesepimeral bristles with four to six bristles present (versus at most two in other subgenera) (Liehne 1991). The acrostichal bristles (near the midline of the scutum) are well developed in members of the subgenera Culex and Neoculex but reduced in the subgenera Culiciomyia and Lophoceraomyia (Liehne 1991). Members of the subgenus Neoculex have bands of pale segments across the posterior margins of the abdominal tergites; these bands are basal on the segment or absent in the subgenus Culex (Stone 1981). Lophoceraomyia have sparser, rougher-looking scaling on the scutum and a thinner proboscis than Culiciomyia (Liehne 1991).
Characters (from Liehne 1991): Head with decumbent scales narrow, upright forked scales on vertex. Palps shorter than proboscis. Spiracular bristles absent. Lower mesepimeral bristles absent or few in number. Pleura largely bare with a few small patches of scales. Abdomen with segment VIII short and broad, cerci short. Tarsal claws simple, pulvilli present. Larva with antennal seta 1-A inserted beyond midpoint of antenna; prothoracic setae 1P to 7P usually long and branched, 1P to 3P set on distinct sclerotised plate; saddle completely rings anal segment; siphon long, pecten well developed, seta 1-S with several pairs of setae; anal segment with seta 3-X usually long and simple.
<==Culex Linnaeus 1758L58
|--C. (Culex)D05
| |--C. (C.) annulirostris Skuse 1889 (see below for synonymy)L91
| |--C. (C.) asteliaeD05
| |--C. (C.) australicus Dobrotworsky & Drummond 1953L91 [=C. pipiens australicusCM70]
| |--C. (C.) bitaeniorhynchus Giles 1901 (see below for synonymy)L91
| |--C. (C.) crinicauda Edwards 1921 [=C. parvus Taylor 1912]L91
| |--C. (C.) globocoxitus Dobrotworsky 1953L91
| |--C. (C.) molestus Forksal 1775 (see below for synonymy)L91
| |--C. (C.) palpalis (Taylor 1912)L91
| |--C. (C.) pervigilans Bergroth 1889SS05
| |--C. (C.) pipiens Linnaeus 1758L91, L58
| |--C. (C.) quinquefasciatus Say 1823L91 (see below for synonymy)
| |--C. (C.) sitiens Weidemann 1828 (see below for synonymy)L91
| |--C. (C.) squamosus (Taylor 1914) [incl. C. annulirostris Taylor 1914 non Skuse 1914, C. taylori Edwards 1921]L91
| |--C. (C.) starkeae Stone & Knight 1958L91
| |--C. (C.) tritaeniorhynchusL91
| `--C. (C.) vicinus (Taylor 1916) [incl. C. basicinctus Edwards 1921]L91
|--C. (Culiciomyia)L91
| |--C. (C.) fragilisRK04
| |--C. (C.) pullus Theobald 1905 [incl. C. muticus Edwards 1923]L91
| `--C. (C.) spathifurcaRK04
|--C. (Lophoceraomyia)L91
| |--C. (L.) cubiculi Marks 1989 (see below for synonymy)L91
| |--C. (L.) cylindricus Theobald 1903L91
| |--C. (L.) fraudatrix (Theobald 1905) (see below for synonymy)L91
| |--C. (L.) hilli Edwards 1922 [incl. C. australis Taylor 1915]L91
| `--C. (L.) petersiL91
|--C. (Lutzia) halifaxii Theobald 1903 (see below for synonymy)L91
`--C. (Neoculex)L91
|--C. (N.) fergusoniL91
`--C. (N.) latus Dobrotworsky 1956L91
Culex incertae sedis:
C. agilis Bigot 1889B90
C. antennatusA71
C. bifurcatus Linnaeus 1758L58
C. calopusL49
C. chryselatusSK56
C. ciliarisB90
C. coronatorC09
C. equinus Linnaeus 1758L58
C. gelidusRK04
C. impudicusBP00
C. maculiventrisL49
C. meridionalisR26
C. modestusBP00
C. mollisC09
C. musicusR26
C. nicaeensis Risso 1826R26
C. nocturnus Theobald 1903T13
|--C. n. nocturnusT13
`--C. n. niger Theobald 1913T13
C. pilosusVD-VW14
C. pulicaris Linnaeus 1758L58
C. reptans Linnaeus 1758L58
C. restuansC09
C. rufinusB90
C. stercoreus Linnaeus 1758L58
C. tarsalisS81
C. territansC09
C. theileriKK91
C. univittatusA71
Culex (Culex) annulirostris Skuse 1889 [incl. C. bancroftii Theobald 1901 non Skuse 1889, C. consimilis Taylor 1913, C. jepsoni Bahr 1912 non Theobald 1910, C. palmi Baisas 1938, C. simplex Taylor 1914, C. somerseti Taylor 1912]L91
Culex (Culex) bitaeniorhynchus Giles 1901 [incl. C. abdominalis Taylor 1913, C. ager Giles 1901, C. ambiguus Theobald 1903, C. domesticus Leicester 1908 non Germar 1817, C. infula Theobald 1901, C. karatsuensis Mochizuki 1913, C. ocellata Theobald 1907, C. sarawaki Theobald 1907, C. taeniarostris Theobald 1907, C. tenax Theobald 1901]L91
Culex (Culex) molestus Forksal 1775 [=C. pipens molestus; incl. C. autogenicus Roubaud 1935, C. berbericus Roubaud 1935, C. domesticus Germar 1817, C. haematophagus Ficalbi 1893, C. quasimodestus Theobald 1905, C. sternopallidus Roubaud 1945, C. sternopunctatus Roubaud 1945]L91
Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say 1823L91 [incl. Cu. acer Walker 1848L91, Chrysoconops acerT13, Taeniorhynchus acerT13, Culex aestuans Weidemann 1828L91, Cu. aikenii Dyar & Knab 1908L91, Cu. albolineatus Giles 1901L91, Cu. anxifer Bigot 1859L91, Cu. aseyehae Dyar & Knab 1915L91, Cu. autumnalis Weyenburgh 1882L91, Cu. barbarus Dyar & Knab 1906L91, Cu. cartroni Ventrillon 1905L91, Cu. christophersii Theobald 1907L91, Cu. cingulatus Doleschall 1856L91, Cu. cubensis Bigot in Sagra 1857L91, Cu. didieri Neveu-Lemaire 1906L91, Cu. doleschallii Giles 1900L91, Cu. fatigans Weidemann 1828L91, Cu. pipiens fatigansL81, Cu. fouchowensis Theobald 1901L91, Cu. fuscus Taylor 1914L91, Cu. goughii Theobald 1911L91, Cu. hensemaeon Dyar 1920L91, Cu. lachrimans Dyar & Knab 1909L91, Cu. luteoannulatus Theobald 1901L91, Cu. macleayi Skuse 1889L91, Cu. minor Theobald 1908L91, Cu. nigrirostris Enderlein 1920L91, Cu. pallidocephala Theobald 1904L91, Cu. penafieli Sanchez 1885L91, Cu. pungens Weidemann 1828L91, Cu. pygmaeus Neveu-Lemaire 1906L91, Cu. quasilinealis Theobald 1907L91, Cu. quasipipiens Theobald 1901L91, Cu. raymondii Tamayo in Tamayo & Gargia 1907L91, Cu. reesi Theobald 1901L91, Cu. revocator Dyar & Knab 1909L91, Cu. sericus Theobald 1901L91, Cu. serotinus Phillipi 1865L91, Cu. skusii Giles 1900L91, Cu. stoehri Theobald 1907L91, Cu. townsvillensis Taylor 1919L91, Cu. trilineatus Theobald 1901L91]
Culex (Culex) sitiens Weidemann 1828 [incl. C. annulata Taylor 1914 non Theobald 1905, C. gnophodes Theobald 1903, C. impellens Walker 1859, C. jepsoni Theobald 1910, C. microannulatus Theobald 1901, C. milni Taylor 1914, C. nigricephala Leicester 1908, C. paludis Taylor 1913, C. saibaii Taylor 1912, C. salinus Baisas 1938, C. salus Theobald 1908, C. somaliensis Neveu-Lemaire 1906]L91
Culex (Lophoceraomyia) cubiculi Marks 1989 [=Lophoceratomyia annulata Taylor 1916 nec C. annulata Theobald 1905 nec C. annulata Taylor 1914, C. fraudatrix annulata]L91
Culex (Lophoceraomyia) fraudatrix (Theobald 1905) [incl. C. cairnsensis Taylor 1919, C. molestus Weidemann 1828 non Forskal 1775]L91
Culex (Lutzia) halifaxii Theobald 1903 [incl. C. aureopunctis Ludlow 1910, C. multimaculosus Leicester 1908, C. raptor Edwards 1922, C. vorax Edwards 1921]L91
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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[B90] Bigot, J.-M.-F. 1890. Une note sur une nouvelle espèce du genre Culex. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 6e série 9: cxxii.
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[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis revised 10th ed. vol. 1. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.
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[L49] Lucas, H. 1849. Exploration Scientifique de l’Algérie pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842 publiée par ordre du gouvernement et avec le concours d’une commission académique. Sciences physiques. Zoologie. II. Histoire naturelle des animaux articulés. Troisième partie. Insectes (suite). Imprimerie Nationale: Paris.
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[S81] Stone, A. 1981. Culicidae. In: McAlpine, J. F., B. V. Peterson, G. E. Shewell, H. J. Teskey, J. R. Vockeroth & D. S. Wood (eds) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 1 pp. 341–350. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.
[SK56] Stone, A., & K. L. Knight. 1956. Type specimens of mosquitoes in the United States National Museum: III, the genera Anopheles and Chagasia (Diptera, Culicidae). Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 46 (9): 276–280.
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[VD-VW14] Vossbrinck, C. R., B. A. Debrunner-Vossbrinck & L. M. Weiss. 2014. Phylogeny of the Microsporidia. In: L. M. Weiss, & J. J. Becnel (eds) Microsporidia: Pathogens of Opportunity pp. 203–220. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.