Culex (Culex) comorensis Brunhes

Harbach, Ralph E. & Wilkerson, Richard C., 2023, The insupportable validity of mosquito subspecies (Diptera: Culicidae) and their exclusion from culicid classification, Zootaxa 5303 (1), pp. 1-184 : 84

Culex (Culex) comorensis Brunhes

subspecies comorensis Brunhes, 1977 —original combination: Culex (Culex) comorensis . Distribution: Anjouan and Mohéli Islands, Union of the Comoros and Ankaratra Massif, Madagascar ( Brunhes 1977).

subspecies kartalae Brunhes, 1977 —original combination: Culex (Culex) comorensis ssp. kartalae . Distribution: Grande Comore [ Union of the Comoros], Mayotte [overseas department of France] ( Brunhes 1977).

Culex comorensis was described and named from specimens discovered on Anjouan Island, an autonomous high island that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. Brunhes (1977) indicated that it was also found on Mohéli Island and the Ankaratra Massif of Madagascar. Subspecies kartalae was briefly described and named in the same publication from specimens collected on Grande Comore Island. Brunhes pointed out morphological “peculiarities” of the male genitalia and larvae that distinguish the two forms. In the typical form, the subapical lobe of the gonocoxite bears a few minute setae at the bases of setae a-f; in the larva, head seta 13-C is long (0.6 mm), seta 1-S of the siphon usually has 4 pairs of setae on the posterior margin, the pecten consists of 10–14 spines (mean 11.2), and the dorsal and ventral anal papillae are equal in length. In subspecies kartalae , the subapical lobe of the gonocoxite bears a dense cluster of minute setae at the bases of setae a-f; the larva differs in having a short seta 13-C (0.2–0.3 mm), the siphon usually has 5 pairs of seta 1-S on the posterior margin, the pecten consists of 4–10 spines (mean 7.2) and the dorsal pair of anal papillae are longer than the ventral pair. The author, however, overlooked some additional important differences of the male genitalia. Subspecies kartalae differs from the typical form as follows: The ventral arms of the phallosome are longer and more slender, the dorsal arms are more distinctly minutely toothed and more sharply pointed, setae a, b, c and h of the subapical lobe are distinctly longer than seta g, setae a and b are stouter and more distinctly hooked apically and the insertion of seta c is borne mesad of setae a and b whereas it is inserted distal to these two setae in the typical form. The complexity of morphological distinctions and the geographical isolation are a clear indication that kartalae is a distinct species; thus, this form is hereby afforded specific status: Culex (Culex) kartalae Brunhes, 1977 . Culex kartalae is currently listed as a species in the Encyclopedia of Life.