''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family

Culicidae Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

. They mainly occur in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

(including

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

), although some species inhabit forested areas of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and range as far as northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. In the

Rio Grande Do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

area of Brazil, one species, ''H. leucocelaenus'', has been found carrying

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

virus. Several species have a distinct metallic sheen. Species of this genus are vectors in the transmission of sylvan or "jungle" yellow fever, which is often carried by

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

s in the

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

canopies. ''Haemagogus'' species have also been found to carry the

Mayaro virus Mayaro may refer to: * Mayaro, California, an unincorporated community in Butte County, California, U.S. * Mayaro Bay, a bay on the east coast of the island of Trinidad * Mayaro County, a group of villages in Trinidad and ...

and Ilheus virus. As these mosquitoes, in general, have relatively long lives, they can transmit viruses for long periods. They tend to live in the canopy of forests, where the female lays eggs in between layers of tree bark or in cut

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

. The eggs adhere to the surface and when submerged by rain water develop into

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

Species

*''

Haemagogus acutisentis ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Arnell, 1973 *''

Haemagogus aeritinctus ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Galindo & Trapido, 1967 *''

Haemagogus albomaculatus ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Theobald, 1903 *''

Haemagogus anastasionis ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Dyar, 1921 *''

Haemagogus andinus ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Osorno-Mesa, 1944 *''

Haemagogus argyromeris ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Dyar & Ludlow, 1921 *''

Haemagogus baresi ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Cerqueira, 1960 *''

Haemagogus boshelli ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Osorno-Mesa, 1944 *''

Haemagogus capricornii ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Lutz, 1904 *''

Haemagogus celeste ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Dyar & Nunez Tovar, 1926 *''

Haemagogus chalcospilans ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the Diptera, dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as n ...

'' Dyar, 1921 *'' Haemagogus chrysochlorus'' Arnell, 1973 *'' Haemagogus clarki'' Galindo, Carpenter and Trapido, 1952 *'' Haemagogus equinus'' Theobald, 1903 ''Haemagogus equinus'' Theobald, 1903. Integrated Taxonomic Information System, https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=126524#null. *'' Haemagogus iridicolor'' Dyar, 1921 *''

Haemagogus janthinomys ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern A ...

'' Dyar, 1921 *''

Haemagogus leucocelaenus ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Dyar & Shannon, 1924 *''

Haemagogus leucophoebus ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Galindo, Carpenter and Trapido, 1952 *'' Haemagogus leucotaeniatus'' Komp, 1938 *'' Haemagogus lucifer'' Howard, Dyar & Knab, 1912 *'' Haemagogus mesodentatus'' Komp & Kumm, 1938 *''

Haemagogus nebulosus ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Arnell, 1973 *''

Haemagogus panarchys ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Dyar, 1921 *'' Haemagogus regalis'' Dyar & Knab, 1906 *''

Haemagogus soperi ''Haemagogus soperi'' is a species of mosquito found in the coastal plain region of Ecuador.Roberto Leví-Castillo. 1955. ''Haemagogus soperi'' N. Sp. mosquito trasmisor de Fiebre Amarilla Selvática en el Ecuador (Diptera-Culicidae). ''Revista ...

'' Levi-Castillo, 1955 *''

Haemagogus spegazzinii ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Brethes, 1912 *''

Haemagogus splendens ''Haemagogus'' is a genus of mosquitoes in the dipteran family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America and northern South America (including Trinidad), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil, and range as far as northern ...

'' Williston, 1896 *'' Haemagogus tropicalis'' Cerqueira & Antunes, 1938

Yellow fever epidemics involving ''Haemagogus'' species

The discovery in 1953 by two scientists from the

Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory The Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory (T.R.V.L.) was established in Port of Spain, in 1953 by the Rockefeller Foundation in co-operation with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. It was originally housed in an old wooden army barracks near the d ...

of a sick Red Howler monkey that was found to be suffering from

provided the first indication that yellow fever was still

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

in Trinidad although there had not been a case reliably reported from Trinidad since an outbreak in 1914. Blood specimens taken from over 4,500 humans in late 1953 and early 1954 and checked to detect the presence of a wide variety of known viruses showed that 15% had antibodies to the yellow fever virus. A form of the disease, termed "jungle yellow fever", was shown to be carried by Red Howler monkeys ('' Alouatta seniculus insulanus'' Elliot) that provided a continuous reservoir for the disease, which was then spread by the ''Haemagogus s. spegazzini'' mosquito which normally inhabits rainforest regions, both at ground level and in the treetops. After government felling of large stands of native forest,

was isolated from a patient from Cumaca in the northern range in 1954. The infection soon spread to other

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s and into the ''

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs ...

'' mosquito population, greatly increasing transmission. Warnings were made that an epidemic was imminent and Dr.

Wilbur Downs Wilbur George Downs (7 August 1913, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey – 17 February 1991, in Branford, Connecticut), was a naturalist, virologist and clinical professor of epidemiology and public health at the Yale School of Medicine and the Yal ...

and Dr. A. E. (Ted) Hill, a specialist in tropical medicine, began a program of inoculating health workers and stockpiling vaccine. Trinidad health authorities followed up with large-scale vaccination and intensive anti-''aegypti'' measures including public education, regular inspection for breeding sites, and spraying of domestic residences with

DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...

. In spite of these measures, and the fact that an estimated 80% of the population of

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

were immune to yellow fever and dengue, several more cases were soon reported. Most probably due to the health measures taken, it did not develop into a widespread epidemic in Trinidad itself. An attempt was made to totally quarantine the island just before Christmas, 1954, but the disease spread to the nearby mainland of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and, from there, all the way to southern Mexico, probably killing several thousand people in the process. In 1998 an epidemic of yellow fever killed many Howler monkeys near the city of

Altamira, Pará Altamira is one of one hundred and forty-four Municipality, municipalities in the state of Pará, in northern Brazil. It has an area of , making it the largest municipality by area both in Pará state and Brazil, and until 2009 it was the world' ...

in the eastern

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

, in Brazil. The virus was isolated in specimens of ''

'' mosquitoes.

Footnotes

References

* ''The Arthropod-borne Viruses of Vertebrates: An Account of The Rockefeller Foundation Virus program 1951-1970.'' 1973. Max Theiler and W. G. Downs. Yale University. . * ''Global Mapping of Infectious Diseases: Methods, Examples and Emerging Applications''. (1963). Edited by S. I. Hay, Alastair Graham, David J. Rogers. Updated edition with DVD 2007. Academic Press; Pbk/Dvdr R edition. .

External links

''Haemagogus'' at Encyclopedia of Life
*
World Health Report on Yellow Fever
{{taxonbar, from1=Q5219942 Aedini Mosquito genera Taxa named by Samuel Wendell Williston