Ochlerotatus (Lepidokeneon), 2009

John F. Reinert, Ralph E. Harbach & Ian J. Kitching, 2009, Phylogeny and classification of tribe Aedini (Diptera: Culicidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157, pp. 700-794 : 773-775

OCHLEROTATUS SUBGENUS LEPIDOKENEON REINERT, HARBACH & KITCHING , SUBGEN. NOV.

Type species: Aedes (Ochlerotatus) spilotus Marks, 1963 .

Females

Head: Vertex covered with narrow, curved, decumbent scales; occiput and vertex with numerous long, erect, forked scales; ocular line narrow, with narrow, curved pale and dark scales; eyes above antennal pedicels separated by diameter of 4 or 5 ocular facets; antennal pedicel with several small, broad, non-overlapping scales and few short, slender setae on mesal surface; clypeus bare; maxillary palpus dark-scaled normally with few pale scales intermixed; proboscis dark-scaled with numerous pale scales intermixed, longer than forefemur.

Thorax: Scutum covered with narrow, curved scales including transverse bar on median part of prescutellar area, background scales dark with pale scales intermixed or in small patches; parascutellar area with 2–4 narrow, curved, pale scales; scutellum with narrow, curved scales on all lobes; acrostichal (anterior and posterior), dorsocentral (anterior and posterior) and prescutellar areas with numerous dark setae; paratergite with moderately broad to broad, pale scales; antepronota widely separated, with numerous pale and dark scales, numerous setae; postpronotum with large patch of narrow, curved scales dorsally and small patch of broad scales ventrally, several posterior setae; hypostigmal area with broad, pale scales (few in Oc. turneri (Marks)) ; postspiracular area with numerous broad, and some relatively narrow, pale scales, several setae; subspiracular area with broad, pale scales; upper proepisternum with broad, pale scales, numerous setae, lower proepisternal area bare; prealar area with broad, pale scales on upper and lower areas, several setae; mesokatepisternum with large upper and moderate lower posterior patches of broad, pale scales, several upper and numerous lower posterior setae; mesepimeron with large patch of broad, pale scales on upper area and extending over middle area, patch may have partial break at midlength, numerous upper setae, without lower setae ( Marks, 1963 indicated lower seta(e) present or absent in Oc. stricklandi Edwards ); metameron with few broad, pale scales and 1–3 short setae ( Marks, 1963 indicated this area was bare in Oc. turneri ).

Wing: All veins with broad dark and pale scales intermixed; costa with pale-scaled patch at base; upper calypter with numerous setae on margin; alula with dark scales on posterior margin; dorsal tertiary fringe scales moderately broad with intermixed pale and dark scales; remigium with 3 setae distally on dorsal surface.

Legs: Ante- and postprocoxal membranes bare; femora with numerous pale scales intermixed with dark-scaled areas, apices pale-scaled; tibiae with numerous pale scales intermixed with dark scales; tarsi with pale scales intermixed with dark scales, more numerous on tarsomeres 1 and 2 and fewer on distal tarsomeres (tarsomere 5 occasionally darkscaled); fore- and midungues equal, each with 1 tooth; hindungues equal, both simple but with seta-like spine subbasally.

Abdomen: Tergum I with patch of broad, pale scales on laterotergite; segment VII dorsoventrally flattened.

Genitalia: Intersegmental membrane between segments VII and VIII very long; tergum VIII moderately pigmented, with small non-pigmented notches on lateral and apical margins, length greater than width, without scales, short setae on entire length, 2 or more long, slender setae on lateral margins, apex flat or with very shallow, median emargination; sternum VIII moderately pigmented with narrow, median, non-pigmented strip, length greater than width, apical margin gently rounded with median area slightly flattened, without scales, setae on entire length, seta 2-S inserted lateral to seta 1-S; tergum IX comprised of single, moderately pigmented sclerite, apex with moderate, median emargination separating rounded lobes each bearing 8–12 short setae, 20–21 total setae; postgenital lobe moderately wide, dorsal length short, apex with shallow, median emargination, few setae on distal area; without upper and lower vaginal sclerites; insula lip-like, with 2 moderately long, slender setae in lateral patches, 4 total setae; cercus moderately pigmented, long, narrow, apex narrowly rounded, without scales, numerous setae extending from near base to apex of dorsal surface; 3 spermathecal capsules, spherical, 1 large and 2 slightly smaller.

Males

Head: Antennae with distal 2 flagellomeres disproportionally long, remainder of flagellomeres short with numerous long setae directed primarily dorsally and ventrally; maxillary palpus with 5 palpomeres, approximately equal to or slightly longer than proboscis, palpomeres 4 and 5 downturned, palpomeres 4 and 5 and distal part of 3 with numerous long setae lateroventrally.

Legs: Foreungues unequal, larger unguis with 2 teeth, smaller unguis with 1 tooth; midungues unequal, larger unguis with round swelling at midlength, smaller with 1 tooth; hindungues equal, with seta-like spine post-basally.

Abdomen: Terga with numerous long, curved setae laterally; posterior margin of tergum VIII with median lobe.

Genitalia: Tergum IX moderately pigmented, posterior margin with darkly pigmented, short, narrow lobe on each side of midline bearing few short, stout, somewhat flattened setae and 1 or 2 short, slender setae; gonocoxite moderately pigmented, relatively long, moderately wide, dorsal surface covered with numerous very short, slender setae, approximately distal 0.20 with few long, stout setae, mesal area with small, apical lobe bearing few very short, slender setae and several short, stout setae, without basal lobe, lateral surface with numerous long, stout and few moderately long setae, ventral surface with several moderately long setae on proximal area and few very long, stout setae on approximately distal 0.20, few short, slender setae on mesal area, several broad scales on dorsal and numerous scales on lateral and ventral surfaces, mesal surface membranous; gonostylus attached at apex of gonocoxite, long, approximately 0.66 length of gonocoxite, relatively narrow throughout length but median part slightly wider than proximal part, distal part curved mesally, narrower than proximal part and with 2–4 short, slender setae, gonostylar claw short, slender, apex truncate, attached at apex of gonostylus; aedeagus tube-like, elongate, sides approximately parallel but slightly wider on proximal 0.33, apex truncate; phallosome with basal piece short; proctiger relatively long, distal part darkly pigmented with several minute teeth at apex, 6 or 7 minute cercal setae; claspette comprised of single, short, slender, curved stem bearing one, apical, moderately long, flattened, moderately broad claspette filament with comb-like row of short spicules on outer margin, apex bluntly rounded; sternum IX moderately pigmented, moderately long, with several moderately long setae on median posterior area.

Pupae

Trumpet: Moderately long, moderately wide distally; pinna long; tracheoid area weakly developed at base.

Cephalothorax: Setae 1,2-CT similarly developed, branched; 4,5-CT similarly developed, branched; 6-CT much shorter than 7-CT; 11-CT single, longer than 10,12-CT.

Abdomen: Seta 6-I single, longer than 3,7-I; 1-II with multiple slender branches; 3-II moderately long, branched; 6-II long, single, noticeably longer than 3-II; 3-III single, longer than 5-III; 1-IV–VI moderately long, slender, with 3 branches; 5-IV,V single, very long, noticeably longer than median, dorsal length of following tergum; 6-VII shorter than and inserted posterior and slightly mesal to 9-VII; 9-VIII with 4–7 slender branches.

Paddle: Apical margin rounded, with tiny spicules; without hair-like spicules on margins; midrib extends to near apex of paddle; seta 1-Pa short, single.

Fourth-instar larvae

Head: Seta 1-C single, distal part attenuate; 4-C short, with 2–5 very slender branches, inserted anteromesal to 5,6-C; 5-C long, stout, single, inserted posteromesal to 6,7-C; 6-C long, stout, single, inserted anteromesal to 7-C; 7-C long, stout, with 4–7 aciculate branches; 12-C with 2 or 3 branches, inserted mesal to 13-C; 13-C with 2 or 3 branches (single on 1 side of 1 specimen), longer than 12-C; 14-C single; antenna moderately long, darkly pigmented, with numerous spicules, seta 1-A with 3–7 aciculate branches, tips not reaching apex of antenna.

Thorax: Setae 1–3-P not inserted on common setal support plate, 1-P> 2-P> 3-P length, 1-P stout, very long, single, 2-P single, 3-P single or occasionally 2-branched; 4-P long, single; 5-P very long, single, longer than 6-P; 6-P long, with 2 branches; 7-P very long, with 3 branches; 4-M branched; 2-T with 2 branches; 6-T single.

Abdomen: Seta 7-I long, stout, with aciculate branches; 12-I present; 6-II with 2 branches, shorter than 6-III; 8-II single; 6-III,IV long, stout, single; 1-VII very long, stout, single, noticeably longer than dorsal length of segment X; 12-VII branched; 1-VIII single; 2,4-VIII branched; comb with few long, stout scales in short, curved row; segment X with saddle large, complete on ventral surface, acus not seen, seta 1-X single, inserted on saddle, 2-X moderately long, with several branches, 3-X long, single, ventral brush with numerous long, multiple-branched setae inserted on grid with well developed transverse and lateral bars, without precratal setae.

Siphon: Moderately long; acus present; pecten with numerous, evenly spaced spines extending beyond midlength of siphon, few distal spines noticeably longer; seta 1-S with 4–7 aciculate branches, inserted distal to pecten.

Included species

Ochlerotatus spilotus, Oc. stricklandi and Oc. turneri .

Distribution

Australia.

Bionomics

Marks (1963), Dobrotworsky (1965) and Lee et al. (1984) provided summaries of the known bionomics of the included species. Ochlerotatus spilotus immature stages have been collected during September or October, mostly in roadside excavations or ditches and once in a waterhole in a watercourse. All habitats had greenish or cloudy water, with some emergent vegetation, and most were partly shaded. Ochlerotatus stricklandi immature stages have been collected from September to December, from temporary, freshwater ground pools in areas of predominantly winter rainfall. Nothing is known about the bionomics of the immature stages of Oc. turneri . Ochlerotatus spilotus females have been collected biting humans and rabbits during the daytime and Oc. stricklandi and Oc. turneri females have been reported biting humans, the former species during the daytime.

Discussion

Adults of species included in subgenus Lepidokeneon are quite large. Species assigned to subgenus Lepidokeneon were previously placed in the Stricklandi Section of Aedes (Ochlerotatus) by Marks (1957, 1963), Dobrotworsky (1965) and Lee et al. (1984). The last two authors included a listing of literature associated with the species. See Marks (1963) for descriptions, illustrations and a discussion of all species assigned to the subgenus. Dobrotworsky (1965) included taxonomic information for Oc. spilotus and Oc. stricklandi . Additional morphological features are provided in Appendix 1 for species included in the analysis.

Etymology

Lepidokeneon is derived from the Greek nouns lipis, - idos (feminine), meaning scale, and keneon (masculine), meaning flank. The name is masculine and refers to the dense thoracic pleural scaling of the adults (meaning scaled or scaly flank or side). The recommended abbreviation for subgenus Lepidokeneon = Lpd.