''Aedes africanus'' is a species of mosquito that is found on the continent of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

with the exclusion of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

. Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Systematic Catalog of Culicidae, ''

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 l ...

'' and ''Aedes africanus'' are the two main

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. ...

vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

species in Zambia. ''Aedes africanus'' is mainly found in

tropical forests Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical for ...

not near

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

Identification

This mosquito has distinct white and black stripes along its body which help differentiate the genus from others in this family. Females of this species are ectoparasites and can most often be found on mammals living in the tropical forests of Africa. The ''africanus'' species can be distinguished from other mosquitoes in the genus ''Aedes'' by having white scales on the maxillary palpi, scutum with a patch of large white scales, and 3 large white patches on the mid-femur.

Life cycle

This species lays its eggs in holes in trees, cut bamboo, bamboo stumps, and tree forks. In laboratory settings, it was observed that the larvae hatch best at 27 °C and the quantity of water was not a factor in embryonic development but we most often laid within 2 cm of the water surface. ''Aedes africanus'' adults are crepuscular feeders, meaning they feed from dusk to dawn. Although this species is a vector for many diseases, because it is mainly found in forests, primates are its main source of blood meals. Early studies of its populations suggest that when sampled in forested areas, it made up 95% of the caught species and only 50% in surrounding villages. When populations are high enough, ''Toxorhynchites'' mosquitoes can be brought in as a biological control as they parasitize ''africanus'' larvae in the shared breeding habitat.

Medical importance

This species of mosquito is an essential

vector in wooded habitats. In addition to being a major vector of yellow fever, ''Aedes africanus'' also vectors pathogens such as

dengue virus ''Dengue virus'' (DENV) is the cause of dengue fever. It is a mosquito-borne, single positive-stranded RNA virus of the family '' Flaviviridae''; genus '' Flavivirus''. Four serotypes of the virus have been found, a reported fifth has yet to ...

West Nile virus West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family '' Flaviviridae'', from the genus '' Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The v ...

, and

Rift Valley fever virus In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics. Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben wi ...

.Work , IANPHI , Atlanta, GA
/ref> It is also a vector of

Zika virus ''Zika virus'' (ZIKV; pronounced or ) is a member of the virus family (biology), family ''Flaviviridae''. It is mosquito-borne disease, spread by daytime-active ''Aedes'' mosquitoes, such as ''Aedes aegypti, A. aegypti'' and ''Aedes albopict ...

, the causal agent of

Zika fever Zika fever, also known as Zika virus disease or simply Zika, is an infectious disease caused by the Zika virus. Most cases have no symptoms, but when present they are usually mild and can resemble dengue fever. Symptoms may include fever, red ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5658733

africanus Africanus is Latin for "African". It may refer to: People Ancient Roman cognomen * Africanus Fabius Maximus, the younger son of Quintus Fabius Maximus (consul 45 BC) and an unknown wife * Cresconius Africanus, a Latin canon lawyer of uncertain da ...

Insects described in 1901