Culex modestus
| Culex modestus | |
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| Species: | Cx. modestus
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| Binomial name | |
| Culex modestus Ficalbi, 1889.[1]
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Culex modestus (no common name) is a species of blood-feeding mosquito of the family Culicidae. It has been experimentally demonstrated to be capable of transmitting West Nile Virus (WNV)[2], and its habit of feeding aggressively on both birds and humans gives it significant potential for transmission of zoonotic infections from birds to humans. It is believed to be the principle bridge vector of WNV between birds and humans in southern France and is thought to have played a role in WNV transmission in the Danube delta, Caspian and Asov sea deltas, and the Volga region in Russia.[3] It has also been implicated in Tahyna virus and Lednice virus transmission in France and Slovakia, respectively.[3]
Distribution
Cx. modestus has been found to occur in the following countries: Algeria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Mongolia, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.[4] It was recently rediscovered in the United Kingdom, where larval surveys in 2010 and 2011 identified substantial populations in southeast England.[3][5]
Ecology
Cx. modestus larvae live in fresh to slightly saline water in irrigation channels, marshes, and rice fields.[6] Adult Cx. modestus females feed on blood of vertebrates, especially birds, horses, and humans; males feed on nectar.[7]
References
- ^ Eugenio Ficalbi. 1889. Notizie preventive sulle zanzare Italiane. IV. Nota preventiva (1) Descrizione di una specie nuova. Zanzara di colorito modesto, Culex modestus, n.sp. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana XXI: 93-94.
- ^ Balenghien T, Vazeille M, Reiter P, Schaffner F, Zeller H, Bicout DJ. 2007. Evidence of laboratory vector competence of Culex modestus for West Nile virus. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2007 Jun;23(2):233-6, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17847861.
- ^ a b c Nick Golding, Miles A Nunn, Jolyon M Medlock, Bethan V Purse, Alexander G C Vaux and Stefanie M Schafer. 2012. West Nile virus vector Culex modestus established in southern England. Parasites & Vectors 2012, 5:32 doi:10.1186/1756-3305-5-32, http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/5/1/32/abstract, accessed 21 Feb 2012.
- ^ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: Systematic Catalog of Culicidae, Culicidae » Culicinae » Culicini » Culex » Barraudius » modestus Ficalbi, http://www.mosquitocatalog.org/taxon_descr.aspx?ID=16762, accessed 21 Feb 2012.
- ^ Adele Rackley: Disease-spreading mosquito found in UK after 60 years, Planet Earth Online, UK Natural Environment Research Council, http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=1154, 9 February 2012.
- ^ Becker N, Petric D, Zgomba M, Boase C, Madon M, Dahl C, Kaiser A. 2010. Mosquitoes and their control, Second Edition. Berlin: Springer Verlag, 577 pp., http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/animal+sciences/book/978-3-540-92873-7; ISBN 978-3-540-92873-7.
- ^ Balenghien T, Fouque F, Sabatier P, Bicout DJ. 2006. Horse-, bird-, and human-seeking behavior and seasonal abundance of mosquitoes in a West Nile virus focus of southern France. J Med Entomol 2006 Sep;43(5):936-46; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17017231.