''Aedes vittatus'' is a species of

mosquito 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 "li ...

that was first described in 1861 as ''Culex vittatus'' from specimens collected on Corsica. In 2000, the species was transferred to the newly erected subgenus ''

Fredwardsius ''Fredwardsius'' is a subgenus of the genus ''Aedes'' with distribution in southern Europe, southern Asia, and Africa.John F. Reinert. 2000. Description of ''Fredwardsius'', a new subgenus of ''Aedes'' (Diptera: Culicidae). ''European Mosquito ...

'' as the type (and only) species representing the subgenus.

Range

The species is found in Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Southern Europe, South America, the Caribbean and North America.Thomas V. Gaffigan, Richard C. Wilkerson, James E. Pecor, Judith A. Stoffer and Thomas Anderson: ''Aedes Fredwardsius vittatus'' (Bigot) in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'',

Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit ("WRBU") is a US Army organization that conducts laboratory and field research on the systematics of medically important arthropods in support of epidemiological investigations and disease prevention and contr ...

, http://www.mosquitocatalog.org/taxon_descr.aspx?ID=17622.Benedict B. Pagac, Alexandra R. Spring, Jonathan R. Stawicki, Thien L. Dinh, Taylor Lura, Michael D. Kavanaugh, David B. Pecor, Silvia A. Justi, and Yvonne-Marie Linton. 2021. Incursion and establishment of the Old World arbovirus vector ''Aedes'' (''Fredwardsius'') ''vittatus'' (Bigot, 1861) in the Americas. ''Acta Tropica'', Volume 213, January 2021, 105739, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105739.P M Alarcón-Elbal, M A Rodríguez-Sosa, B C Newman, W B Sutton, The First Record of ''Aedes vittatus'' (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Dominican Republic: Public Health Implications of a Potential Invasive Mosquito Species in the Americas, ''Journal of Medical Entomology'', tjaa128, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa128, retrieved 14 Aug 2020.

Habitat

The immature stages develop in log holes, hoofprints, boats, wells, tree trunks, tree holes, bamboo cups and pots, occasional utensils, rock pools, rock holes, in pools in rock outcrops or river beds, and coral, and occasionally at the peak of the breeding season, in open concrete floodwater drains. Immature stages have been found in association with '' A. albopictus'', '' A. malayensis'', and ''

Culex ''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...

'' species. In northern Nigeria no adults were caught in traps baited with goats, sheep, monkeys and pig; porcupine was the most important local host.

Medical importance

A demonstrated human-biter, ''A. vittatus'' can transmit

yellow fever virus 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 ...

in monkeys in the laboratory and was a suspected

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 ...

in the 1940 Nuba Mountain epidemic in Sudan in which an estimated 15,000 human cases and 1,500 deaths were reported. ''A. vittatus'' is potentially capable of transmitting

Zika virus ''Zika virus'' (ZIKV; pronounced or ) is a member of the virus family ''Flaviviridae''. It is spread by daytime-active '' Aedes'' mosquitoes, such as '' A. aegypti'' and '' A. albopictus''. Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda, w ...

, the causative 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 ...

. The adult females have a short crepuscular biting period, with maximum activity between 1800 and 2100 hours.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q50399453 vittatus Insects described in 1861