Aedes (also known as the tiger mosquito[1]) is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: Aedes albopictus, a particularly invasive species, was spread to the Americas, including the United States, in the 1980s, by the used-tire trade.[2]

Aedes
Aedes aegypti
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Tribe: Aedini
Genus: Aedes
Meigen, 1818
Type species
Aedes cinereus
Meigen, 1818
Species

List of Aedes species

First described and named by German entomologist Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818, the generic name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀηδής, aēdēs, meaning 'unpleasant' or 'odious'. The type species for Aedes is Aedes cinereus.[3]

Systematics and phylogeny

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Aedes (Stegomyia) pia, described in 2013.[4]

The genus was named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818. The generic name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀηδής, aēdēs, meaning 'unpleasant'[5] or 'odious'.

As historically defined, the genus contains more than 950 species (see the list of Aedes species). The genus has been divided into several subgenera (Aedes, Diceromyia, Finlaya, Stegomyia, etc.), most of which have been recently treated by some authorities as full genera.[6] The classification was revised in 2009.[7]

Characteristics

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Aedes mosquitoes are visually distinctive because they have noticeable black and white markings on their bodies and legs. Unlike most other mosquitoes, they are active and bite only during the daytime. The peak biting periods are early in the morning and in the evening before dusk.[8][9]

Direct children of this genus

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The genus contains 28 species that are not placed in a further subgenus:[10]

Children with uncertain position

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As disease vectors

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Members of the genus Aedes are known vectors for numerous viral infections, including dengue fever, yellow fever, the Zika virus,[11] and chikungunya, which are transmitted by species in the subgenus Stegomyia, and by A. aegypti and A. albopictus.[12] Infections with these viruses are typically accompanied by a fever, and in some cases, encephalitis, which can lead to death. A vaccine to provide protection from yellow fever exists, and measures to prevent mosquito bites include insecticides such as DDT, mosquito traps, insect repellents, mosquito nets, and pest control using genetically modified insects.[13] In Polynesia, the species Aedes polynesiensis is responsible for the transmission of human lymphatic filariasis.

Aedes can be detected and monitored by ovitraps.

Sequencing

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The genome of the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) was sequenced by the Broad Institute and the Institute for Genomic Research. The initial assembly was released in August 2005; a draft sequence of the genome and preliminary analysis was published in June 2007.[14] The annotated genome is available at VectorBase.[15] An updated and improved version of the Aedes aegypti genome was released in 2018.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Wilkerson, Richard C.; Linton, Yvonne-Marie; Strickman, Daniel (2021). "Genera and Medically Important Species Pages". Mosquitoes of the World. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-4214-3814-6. LCCN 2019041641.
  2. ^ Hawley, William A.; Reiter, Paul; Copeland, Robert S.; Pumpuni, Charles B.; Craig, George B. (1987-05-29). "Aedes albopictus in North America: Probable Introduction in Used Tires from Northern Asia". Science. 236 (4805): 1114–1116. Bibcode:1987Sci...236.1114H. doi:10.1126/science.3576225. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 3576225.
  3. ^ "Aedes". Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2016-02-04..
  4. ^ Le Goff G, Brengues C, Robert V (2013). "Stegomyia mosquitoes in Mayotte, taxonomic study and description of Stegomyia pia n. sp". Parasite. 20: 31. doi:10.1051/parasite/2013030. PMC 3770211. PMID 24025625.
  5. ^ Powell, Jeffrey R.; Tabachnick, Walter J. (2013). "History of domestication and spread of Aedes aegypti - A Review". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 108 (Suppl 1): 11–17. doi:10.1590/0074-0276130395. PMC 4109175. PMID 24473798.
  6. ^ Reinert JF, Harbach RE, Kitching IJ (2004). "Phylogeny and classification of Aedini (Diptera: Culicidae), based on morphological characters of all life stages". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 142 (3): 289–368. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00144.x.
  7. ^ Reinert JF, Harbach RE, Kitching IJ (2009). "Phylogeny and classification of tribe Aedini (Diptera: Culicidae)" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 157 (4): 700–794. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00570.x.
  8. ^ "Dengue and severe dengue". World Health Organization. 24 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Dengue and severe dengue". World Health Organization. 19 May 2021.
  10. ^ "ITIS - Report: Aedes". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  11. ^ "CDC Transmission of Zika virus". Archived from the original on 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
  12. ^ "PAHO Statement on Zika Virus Transmission and Prevention". Pan American Health Organization. 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  13. ^ Fitzsimons, Tom (11 March 2022). "EPA OKs plan to release 2.4 million more genetically modified mosquitoes". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  14. ^ Nene V, Wortman JR, Lawson D, Haas B, Kodira C, Tu ZJ, et al. (June 2007). "Genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, a major arbovirus vector". Science. 316 (5832): 1718–23. Bibcode:2007Sci...316.1718N. doi:10.1126/science.1138878. PMC 2868357. PMID 17510324.
  15. ^ "Aedes aegypti". VectorBase. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  16. ^ Matthews BJ, Dudchenko O, Kingan SB, Koren S, Antoshechkin I, Crawford JE, et al. (November 2018). "Improved reference genome of Aedes aegypti informs arbovirus vector control". Nature. 563 (7732): 501–507. Bibcode:2018Natur.563..501M. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0692-z. PMC 6421076. PMID 30429615.
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