Culex univittatus (F)
Culex univittatus Theobald, 1901
Type-loc: Salisbury, Rhodesia, now Harare, Zimbabwe
Difficult to separate from Culex perexiguus.
Comparative morphological and molecular analysis confirms the presence of the West Nile virus mosquito vector, Culex univittatus, in the Iberian Peninsula. However the presence of Cx. univittatus in North Africa and Middle East is doubtful and debated.
Culex univittatus (F)
Culex univittatus (F)
Head
- HEAD - THORAX: Anopheles or not : 1. maxillary palpus clearly shorter than proboscis ; 3. scutellum clearly trilobate
- HEAD: Colour of maxillary palpus : 1. entirely dark
- HEAD: Colour of proboscis : 1. entirely dark
Thorax
- THORAX: Prespiracular and postspiracular setae : 1. prespiracular and postspiracular setae absent
- THORAX: Scutum's ornamentation : 1. without well-marked patterns
- THORAX: Prealar area's ornamentation : 3. with 1 pale scale patch
- THORAX: Lower mesepimeral seta : 2. 1 seta ; 3. 2 or more setae
- THORAX: Postspiracular area's ornamentation : 2. with scales
Wings
- WING: General ornamentation of the wing : 1. entirely dark ; 3. with a thin line of pale scales on the costal vein base
- WING: Colour of the scales on the wing veins : 1. dark scales only ; 2. pale scales only along the costal margin
- WING: Position of wing veins R2+3 and M1+2 : 1. furcation of vein R2+3 is closer to furcation of vein M1+2 ; 2. furcation of vein R2+3 more distant from the furcation of vein M1+2
- WING: Uranotaenia or not : 2. apex of anal vein ends after mcu/cuA fork ; 4. length of the R2+R3 vein is shorter than R2/R3
- WING: Ornamentation of the base (alula) : 1. with a fringe of scales
- WING: Wing length from insertion to apex : 2. between 3 - 3,5 mm ; 3. between 3,6 - 4 mm ; 4. between 4,1 - 4,5 mm
- WINGS and LEGS I - III: Culex or Coquillettidia : 2. wing scales narrow, pulvili present, claws smaller - Culex genus
Legs
- LEG I: Tibia's colour : 2. with an apical pale ring
- LEG I: Orthopodomyia or not : 2. tarsomere 4 is equal or longer than tarsomere 5 ; 4. length of tarsomere 1 is shorter than tarsomere 2 through 5
- LEG III: Colour of tarsomere 1 : 1. entirely dark, at most with 2 pale rings (basal and apical)
- LEG III: Colour of tarsomere 5 : 1. entirely dark
- LEG III: Colour of tibia : 2. with an apical pale ring ; 4. with a longitudinal pale band
- LEG I: Colour of the scales on the coxa : 1. with a majority of pale scales
- LEG II: Tibia's colour : 2. with an apical pale ring
- LEG II: Colour of the external side of the femur : 3. with a mixture of pale and dark scales
- LEG III: Relative sizes of tarsomere 1 and tibia : 1. tarsomere nearly as long as tibia ; 2. tarsomere clearly shorter than tibia
- LEG III: Colour of femur : 1. with the basal half partially dark
Abdomen
- ABDOMEN: Colour of the scales on the tergite : 5. with creamy white and dark scales
- ABDOMEN: Ornamentation of tergite III - Cx : 2. with a basal pale band
- ABDOMEN: Ornametation of tergite III : 2. with a basal pale band