Summary
Culex nigripalpus (Florida SLE mosquito) is a species of medium-sized, dark, blood-feeding mosquito of the family Culicidae.[1]
| Culex nigripalpus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Genus: | Culex |
| Species: | C. nigripalpus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Culex nigripalpus Theobald, 1901.
| |
Distribution edit
Culex nigripalpus has been found to occur in the following countries: Anguilla, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Venezuela, Virgin Islands.[2] In the United States, it is found from Texas to North Carolina in warm, humid coastal habitats and in the Mississippi River basin as far north as Kentucky.[1]
Ecology edit
Culex nigripalpus larvae live in fresh water in semi-permanent or permanent marshes, ditches, retention ponds, and grassy pools, and females prefer to lay eggs in freshly flooded ditches.[3][2]
Medical significance edit
Culex nigripalpus is a principle disease vector in Florida – the primary enzootic vector to wild birds and the primary epidemic vector to humans of the Saint Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus.[1][4] It has been experimentally demonstrated to be capable of transmitting West Nile virus (WNV).[5] Its habit of feeding on both birds and humans gives it significant potential for transmission of zoonotic infections from birds to humans. It is also a vector of transmission of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), dog heartworm, and Avian malaria.[1][2][6]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Jonathan F. Day (August 2014). "Florida SLE Mosquito - Culex nigripalpus Theobald". Featured Creatures. University of Florida. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ a b c "Culex (Cux.) nigripalpus". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "St. Louis Encephalitis". Vector Disease Control. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Jonathan F. Day; G. Alan Curtis (1994). "When it rains, they soar--and that makes Culex nigripalpus a dangerous mosquito" (PDF). American Entomologist. 40 (3). Entomological Society of America: 162–167. doi:10.1093/ae/40.3.162. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ Experimental Transmission of West Nile Virus by Culex Nigripalpus from Honduras. Defense Technical Information Center. 2007.
- ^ J. W. Knight; J. K. Nayar (March 1999). "Colonization of Culex nigripalpus theobald (Diptera: Culicidae) by stimulation of mating using males of other mosquito species" (PDF). Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 15 (1): 72–73. PMID 10342273. Retrieved 18 July 2017.