Culex ( Microculex ) imitator Theobald, 1903

Oliveira-Christe, Rafael & Marrelli, Mauro Toledo, 2025, Descriptions of the male genitalia of species of Culex (Microculex) (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Atlantic Forest, Brazil, and a dichotomous identification key for those species, Zootaxa 5717 (4), pp. 517-543 : 522

Culex ( Microculex) imitator Theobald, 1903

Culex imitator Theobald, 1903: 175 ( ♂). Holotype in NHM. Type locality: São Paulo, Brazil. Kumm 1933: 564 ( ♂, ♀, Le); Senevet & Abonnenc 1939: 115 (Le); Rozeboom & Komp 1950: 155 ( ♂ G); Belkin et al. 1971: 26

(ty. info., tax.); Rossi & Martinez 2003: 472 ( Uruguay). Synonyms argenteoumbrosus Theobald, 1907: 461 ( Microculex ; ♂, ♀). Holotype in NHM. Type locality: Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara,

Brazil. daumasturus Dyar & Knab, 1906a: 220 ( Culex ; Le). Type locality: La Brea, Trinidad (USNM). vector Dyar & Knab, 1906a: 220 ( Culex ; Le). Holotype deposited in USNM.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 5): Tergum IX lobes semicircular with internal, markedly oval-shaped margin. External margin oval. Apical region with 2–4 simple, narrow setae. Protuberance external to each tergum IX lobe, without setae, 0.25 size of lobes. Glabrous medial and basal regions. Distance between tergum IX lobes equal to basal width of lobes. Gonocoxite oblong; subapical lobe with 2 parallel, apically hooked setae ( a and b) similar in length. Distal division with narrow, simple, long group of setae equivalent in length, extending from subapical lobe to base of columnar process. Columnar process with 2 strong filiform setae ( a and b) with curved apices; seta a inserted basal to seta b. Gonostylus slender, slightly curved, tapering towards apex, with broad leaf-like gonostylar claw with pointed apex. Aedeagus with sclerotized dorsolateral process; ventral process with pointed apex; apical process partially hyaline. Proctiger with elongate, somewhat triangular tergum X, apical process broad; basal process pointed. Paraproct elongate. Crown with 4–6 simple, pointed, curved blades.

Distribution: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Material examined: 37 ♂ G. SP-VL/APA15; SP-VL/APA17; RJ-STA49; SP-EC108; SP-EC92; SP-PR74; SP-PR76; SP-PR48; SP-PR52; SP-PR61; SP-PR38; SP-VL/APA33; SP-PR19; SP-CANT7; SP-J/APA1; SP-PR69; SP-CP115; SP-CAC32; SP-CP136; SP-CP30; SP-CP131; RJ-STA194; SP-PR67; SP-J/APA129; SP-EC103; SP-PR64; SP-PR68; SP-CANT25; SP-J/APA12; SP-SC34; RJ-STA139; SP-PR78; SP-CANT33; FSP-E8684; FSP-CJ03-106; FSP-SPC1(2)-3.