Aedes

Taxobox
name = "Aedes Mosquito"

---

image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Aedes aegypti"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Hexapoda
classis = Insecta
subclassis = Pterygota
infraclassis = Neoptera
superordo = Endopterygota|
ordo = Diptera
familia = Culicidae
subfamilia = Culicinae
genus = "Aedes"
genus_authority = Meigen 1818
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "Aedes albopictus"
"Aedes aegypti"
"Aedes cantator"
etc.
(See also List of "Aedes" species)

"Aedes" is a genus of mosquito originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but has spread by human activity to all continents excluding Antarctica. Several of the species transmit important human diseases and one species, "Aedes albopictus", is the most invasive mosquito in the world. The name comes from the Greek "aēdēs", meaning "unpleasant" or "odious", so called because of the diseases this mosquito transmits, including dengue fever and yellow fever. In Polynesia, the species "Aedes polynesiensis" is responsible for the transmission of human lymphatic filariasis including species of "Brugia" as well as others.

The yellow fever mosquito ("Aedes aegypti") genome is being sequenced by The Broad Institute and The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). The initial assembly was released in August 2005; a draft sequence of the genome and preliminary analysis was published in June 2007. [cite journal |author=Nene V, Wortman JR, Lawson D, "et al." |title=Genome sequence of "Aedes aegypti", a major arbovirus vector |journal=Science |volume=316 |issue=5832 |pages=1718–23 |year=2007 |pmid=17510324 |doi=10.1126/science.1138878] Annotation of the sequence is being undertaken by VectorBase and TIGR.

Characteristics

"Aedes" species are typical small mosquitoes. They usually have black and white stripe markings on their body and legs.

ystematics and phylogeny

The genus was named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818. There are presently some controversial moves afoot to abolish "Aedes" as a generic name and to replace it with "Stegomyia". Some species of "Aedes" (the Asian tiger mosquito) have been introduced to the US and have spread as far north as Iowa. The genus contains over 700 species (see the list of "Aedes" species). The genus is divided into several subgenera ("Aedes", "Diceromyia", "Finlaya", "Stegomyia" etc.), many of which would be elevated to genus level [Reinert, J.F et al., Phylogeny and classification of Aedini (Diptera: Culicidae), based on morphological characters of all life stages. Zool. J. of the Linnean Society, 2004,142, 289–368] .

ee also

*Aedes aegypti

References