Aedes, Meigen, 1818

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A., Ahmad, Syed Kamran, Turner, James & Azari-Hamidian, Shahyad, 2023, An overview of the mosquitoes of Saudi Arabia (Diptera: Culicidae), with updated keys to the adult females, Zootaxa 5394 (1), pp. 1-76 : 55

Key to the subgenera and species (adult females) of Aedes in Saudi Arabia

1 Preapical white bands present on all femora; tibiae with median white bands; scutum with 1–3 pairs of white spots (subgenus Fredwardsius ).................................................................................. vittatus

– Femora without preapical white bands; tibiae without median white bands, may have a white stripe or speckles; scutum without white spots, but may have white lines or scales............................................................. 2

2(1) Scutum with 1 or more longitudinal white stripes on dark brown or black background; scutellum with broad silvery-white scales; cerci very short, hardly visible from above; proboscis about as long as forefemur; erect scales of head restricted to occiput (subgenus Stegomyia ).......................................................................... 3

– Scutum without such white markings but may have scattered pale scales or white stripe on paler background, not dark brown or black; scutellum without broad silvery-white scales; cerci longer, visible from above; proboscis longer than forefemur; erect head scales on vertex and occiput........................................................................ 5

3(2) Scutum with a pair of submedian longitudinal white stripes, but without median (acrostichal) longitudinal white stripe, lateral white stripes broad continuing over transverse suture to posterior of scutum, with lyre-shaped markings; clypeus with white scale patches; anterior surface of midfemur with longitudinal white stripe from base to near apex................ aegypti

– Scutum with a narrow median longitudinal white stripe extending from anterior margin to prescutellar area, where it forks to end at anterior margin of scutellum, lateral stripe narrow and short not reaching middle of scutum and not continued over transverse suture, never lyre-shaped markings; clypeus without white scale-patches; anterior portion of midfemur without longitudinal white stripe, dark-scaled with apical pale scale-patch or with some scattered pale scales and a preapical white spot............................................................................................... 4

4(3) Anterior portion of midfemur dark-scaled with apical pale scale patch; postspiracular area without scales; scutum without round pale spot............................................................................. albopictus (Note 5)

– Anterior portion of midfemur with some scattered pale scales and a preapical pale spot; postspiracular area with broad pale scales; scutum with 2 round pale spots on posterior part............................................. unilineatus

5(2) Hindtarsomeres with narrow basal pale rings shorter than 0.25 length of tarsomere; lower mesepimeral setae absent (subgenus Aedimorphus )............................................................................... arabiensis

– Hindtarsomeres with basal pale rings longer than 0.25 length of tarsomere or with both basal and apical pale rings, or without rings; lower mesepimeral setae present (subgenus Ochlerotatus )............................................... 6

6(5) Tarsi without pale rings, some pale scaling not forming rings may be present; abdominal terga with basal pale bands and mixture of dark and pale scales in apical half......................................................... detritus

– Some tarsomeres with rings of pale scales; abdominal terga with median pale stripes, sometimes entirely pale-scaled...... 7

7(6) Hindtarsomeres with both basal and apical pale rings; hindtarsomere 5 entirely pale; proboscis with pale scaling in middle............................................................................................. caspius s.l.

– Hindtarsomeres with basal pale rings only; hindtarsomere 5 not entirely pale; proboscis entirely dark............ caballus