Family CULICIDAE




Culicidae, or mosquitoes, are found worldwide. Adult females of most living forms are blood feeders and are infamous as vectors of various diseases. Species of various genera are known to transmit malaria, filariasis, dengue, encephalitis, and yellow fever. Adult males are nonbiting and feed on plant fluids. Immatures are aquatic, occupying various types of bodies of water from leaf axils to large estuarine wetlands.

Culicidae as fossils are not common. Most listed in this catalog are known from compression fossils. However, there are a few records known from amber inclusions. Described species in amber are from the Eocene/Oligocene deposits of Baltic amber. Undetermined specimens are also known from the Miocene amber of Chiapas, Mexico (Poinar, 1992). The oldest published mosquito is a single undescribed specimen found in Upper Cretaceous Canadian amber by T. Pike (Poinar, 1992, 1993). Since the original publication of this chapter, another claim has been made as to the oldest known fossil mosquito--from the amber fields of New Jersey. Lambrecht (1980: 369) listed a fossil record of Culicidae from the Triassic. However, it is not known from which deposit the specimen referred to derives.

Records of adult specimens identified as mosquitoes are known from compression fossils from the Cretaceous in Mongolia (Inner Mongolian Geological Survey, 1976), and immatures are recorded from the Lower Jurassic of Germany (Bode, 1953) but the true familial placement of all of these taxa is still in question. Lutz (1985b) recorded an undetermined specimen from the Lower Oligocene of France and Cuffey et al. (1982: 120) listed a single specimen from the Oligocene Creede Caldera of southwestern Colorado. Fossils of Japanese mosquitoes were discussed by M. Stopes (in Edwards, 1923: 154­p;55), but neither their age nor the deposit in which they were found was given.

An interesting record of a culicid egg from the Oligocene Florissant shales is given by Cockerell (1913e: 125).

Ref.: Edwards (1923, 1932, revision of fossil taxa); Knight & Stone (1977, world catalog); Capasso (1993, fossil checklist).


Genus AEDES Meigen

*AEDES Meigen, 1818: 13. Type species: Aedes cinereus Meigen, 1818, by monotypy.
*ciliaris Linnaeus, 1767: 1002 (Culex). PA: Sweden; LU (Holocene) [K].
protolepis Cockerell, 1915c: 488 (Culex). PA: UK (England) (Eocene/Oligocene) [C].

petrifactellus Cockerell, 1915c: 489. PA: UK (England) (Eocene/Oligocene) [C].

Genus ANOPHELES Meigen

*ANOPHELES Meigen, 1818: 10. Type species: Anopheles maculipennis Meigen, 1818, by subsequent designation of I.C.Z.N. (1959a: 155).
rottensis Statz, 1944b: 109. PA: Germany (Oligocene) [C].
Unidentified sp.-NT: Dominican Republic (Oligocene/Miocene) [A] (Grimaldi, 1993: 165).


Genus CULEX Linnaeus

*CULEX Linnaeus, 1758: 602. Type species: Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758, by subsequent designation of Latreille (1810: 442).
damnatorum Scudder, 1890: 582. NE: USA (Eocene) [C].
erikae Szadziewski & Szadziewska, 1985: 515. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
flavus Gistl, 1831: 247. NT: Brazil (Holocene) [K].
*pipiens Linnaeus, 1758: 602. PA: Sweden & America; PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/ Oligocene)[A], LU: (Holocene) [K].
protorhinus Cockerell, 1915c: 488. PA: UK (England) (Eocene/Oligocene) [C].
tanzaniae Capasso, 1993: 178. AF: Tanzania (Pliocene) [K].
vectensis Edwards, 1923: 151. PA: UK (England) (Eocene/Oligocene) [C].
winchesteri Cockerell, 1919a: 44. NE: USA (Eocene) [C].
Unidentified sp.-PA: Denmark (Eocene) [C] (Kalugina, 1991: 70).
Unidentified sp.-NT: Dominican Republic (Oligocene/Miocene) [A] (N.L. Evenhuis, unpubl.).
Unidentified sp.-PA: France (Oligocene) [C] (Scudder, 1891: 620).


Genus CULISETA Felt

*CULISETA Felt, 1904: 391c. Type species: Culex absobrinus Felt, 1904 [= Culex impatiens Walker, 1848], by original designation.
Unidentified sp.-NT: Dominican Republic (Oligocene/Miocene) [A] (Grimaldi, 1993: 165).


Genus MANSONIA Blanchard

PANOPLITES Theobald, 1900: 5. Suppressed by I.C.Z.N. (1959c: 187). [Preoccupied by Gould, 1854.]
*MANSONIA Blanchard, 1901: 1046 (new replacement name for Panoplites Theobald). Type species: Culex titillans Walker, 1848, by subsequent designation of Nevue-Lemaire (1902: 214). [Ratified by I.C.Z.N. (1959c: 187).]
martinii Statz, 1944b: 110. PA: Germany (Oligocene) [C].

martinii Statz, 1941: fig. 13. Nomen nudum.
varivestita Statz, 1944b: 111. PA: Germany (Oligocene) [C].
varivestita Statz, 1941: fig. 14. Nomen nudum.


Genus NEOCULICITES Evenhuis

Culicites Meunier, 1915b: 16. Type species: Culicites depereti Meunier, 1915, by subsequent designation of Evenhuis (1994: 234). [Preoccupied by Heyden, 1862.] New synonymy.
NEOCULICITES Evenhuis, 1994: 234 (new replacement name for Culicites Meunier). Type species: Culicites depereti Meunier, 1915, automatic.
arvernensis Piton, 1936: 17 (Culicites). PA: France (Oligocene) [C]. New combination.
ceyx Heyden, 1870: 252 (Culex). PA: Germany (Oligocene) [C]. New combination.
depereti Meunier, 1915b: 17 (Culicites). PA: France (Oligocene) [C]. New combination.


Genus OCHLEROTATUS Lynch Arribálzaga

*OCHLEROTATUS Lynch Arribálzaga, 1891a: 353, 367 [1891b: 143]. Type species: Ochlerotatus confirmatus Lynch Arribálzaga, 1891 [= Aedes scapularis Rondani, 1848], by subsequent designation of Coquillett (1910: 577).
TAENIORHYNCHUS Lynch Arribálzaga, 1891a: 374 [1891b: 147]. Suppressed by I.C.Z.N. (1959c: 187).
cockerelli Edwards, 1923: 151 (Taeniorhynchus). PA: UK (England) (Eocene/ Oligocene) [C].


Genus TOXORHYNCHITES Theobald

*TOXORHYNCHITES Theobald, 1901a: 234 [1901b: 244]. Type species: Toxorhynchites brevipalpis Theobald, 1901, by subsequent monotypy in Theobald (1901b: 245). [Name validated by I.C.Z.N. (1959b: 167). Type species conserved by I.C.Z.N. (1982: 122).]
loewi Giebel, 1862: 317 (Culex). AF: Tanzania (Pleistocene/Holocene) [K].

Questionably Placed in Culicidae

Genus AMIANTA Bode

AMIANTA Bode, 1953: 327. Type species: Amianta eurycephala Bode, 1953, by monotypy.
eurycephala Bode, 1953: 327. PA: Germany (Lower Jurassic) [C].


Genus AMPHIPROMECA Bode

AMPHIPROMECA Bode, 1953: 324. Type species: Amphipromeca acuta Bode, 1953, by monotypy.
acuta Bode, 1953: 324. PA: Germany (Lower Jurassic) [C].


Genus ASIOCULICUS Hong

ASIOCULICUS Hong in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Bureau of Geology, 1976: 86. Type species: Asioculicus damaioensis Hong, 1976, by original designation.
damaioensis Hong in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Bureau of Geology, 1976: 87. PA: Mongolia (Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous) [C].
longipodus Hong & Wang in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Bureau of Geology, 1976: 87. PA: Mongolia (Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous) [C].


Genus CULICISCOLEX Bode

CULICISCOLEX Bode, 1953: 322. Type species: Culiciscolex gibberatus Bode, 1953, by monotypy.
gibberatus Bode, 1953: 322. PA: Germany (Lower Jurassic) [C].


Genus EMPIDOCAMPE Bode

EMPIDOCAMPE Bode, 1953: 323. Type species Empidocampe retrocrassata Bode, 1953, by monotypy.
retrocrassata Bode, 1953: 323. PA: Germany (Lower Jurassic) [C].


Genus PROPEXIS Bode

PROPEXIS Bode, 1953: 327. Type species: Propexis incerta Bode, 1953, by monotypy.
incerta Bode, 1953: 327. PA: Germany (Lower Jurassic) [C].


Genus RHOPALOSCOLEX Bode

RHOPALOSCOLEX Bode, 1953: 326. Type species: Rhopaloscolex longus Bode, 1953, by original designation.
brevis Bode, 1953: 326. PA: Germany (Lower Jurassic) [C].
longus Bode, 1953: 326. PA: Germany (Lower Jurassic) [C].


This page last revised 9 November 1996 by nle