Wyeomyia is a
genus of
mosquitoes first described in 1901 by
Frederick Vincent Theobald.
[Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory: ''Wyeomyia Theobald, 1901'', http://mosquito-taxonomic-inventory.info/simpletaxonomy/term/6251, accessed August 5, 2017.] The
genus's 140
species can be difficult to characterize because of their diversity and the need for additional taxonomic work to further delineate them.
Adults resemble genus ''
Limatus'' and ''
Sabethes
''Sabethes'' mosquitoes are primarily an arboreal genus, breeding in plant cavities.Ralph E. Harbach. 1994. The subgenus ''Sabethinus'' of ''Sabethes'' (Diptera: Culicidae). ''Systematic Entomology'', 19: 207-234; https://www.researchgate.net/p ...
'' mosquitoes more closely than other genera in the
New World tribe
Sabethini,
but differ by their
scutal scales ranging in color from a relatively dull bronzy with a slight metallic sheen in most species, to a metallic gold.
There are other distinguishing characters as well.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.][Robin McLeod with additional contributions by V. Belov: Genus ''Wyeomyia'', ''Bugguide'', http://bugguide.net/node/view/38485, last updated 11 October 2011, last accessed August 5, 2017.]
Distribution
''Wyeomyia'' mosquitoes are predominantly
neotropical, ranging across the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
into
Florida, with one species occurring in eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.]
Ecology
Most ''Wyeomyia'' mosquitoes are
forest-inhabiting, preferring damp environments.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.] Larvae
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 ...
develop in small collections of water in
bromeliad
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...
s and aroids, flower bracts, broken bamboo and bamboo stumps, Tree hollow, tree holes, pitcher plants, and sometimes man-made containers.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.] They feed on organic matter in the water, including decomposing carcasses of insects and spiders.
Some species obtain oxygen directly from the water, rarely, if ever, surfacing.
Adults are active during the day, usually near larval habitats.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.] Some species are found at characteristic elevations in the forest canopy, with others appearing to be restricted to ground level.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.]
Most ''Wyeomyia'' species will take blood meals, and females readily feed on humans who enter their habitat.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.] Although Ilhéus virus, Ilhéus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis and Maguari virus, Maguari viruses have been isolated from ''Wyeomyia'' mosquitoes, they are not known to transmit a disease agent to humans.
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.]
Subgenera
The following subgenera are recognised:
[ Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit: "Culicidae » Culicinae » Sabethini » ''Wyeomyia''" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'', http://www.wrbu.org/mqID/mq_gnra/wyeomyia.htm, accessed August 5, 2017.]
*''Antunesmyia'' Lane & Cerqueira, 1942
*''Caenomyiella'' Harbach & Peyton, 1990
*''Cruzmyia'' Lane & Cerqueira, 1942
*''Decamyia'' Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., Dyar, 1919
*''Dendromyia'' Frederick Vincent Theobald, Theobald, 1903
*''Dodecamyia'' Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., Dyar, 1918
*''Exallomyia'' Harbach & Peyton, 1992
*''Hystatomyia'' Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., Dyar, 1919
*''Menolepis'' Lutz, 1905
*''Miamyia'' Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., Dyar, 1919
*''Nunezia'' Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., Dyar, 1928
*''Phoniomyia'' Frederick Vincent Theobald, Theobald, 1903
*''Prosopolepis'' Lutz, 1905
*''Spilonympha'' Motta & Lourenço-de-Oliveira, 2005
*''Triamyia'' Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., Dyar, 1919
*''Wyeomyia'' Frederick Vincent Theobald, Theobald, 1901
*''Zinzala'' Zavortink, 1986
See also
* List of Wyeomyia species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3570206
Culicinae
Mosquito genera
Taxa named by Frederick Vincent Theobald