AFROTROPICAL, ORIENTAL & PALEARCTIC REGIONS
Etymology: three-banded, snout (L); proboscis with three yellow bands
Culex tritaeniorhychus is the most widely spread member of the Vishnui Subgroup, which also includes Cx. alienus Colless, Cx. annulus Theobald, Cx. incognitus Baisas, Cx. perplexus Leicester, Cx. philippinensis Sirivanakarn, Cx. pseudovishnui Colless, Cx. vishnui Theobald and Cx. whitei Barraud.
Type locality: Travancore, India
Type depository: Natural History Museum, London, England, United Kingdom (NHMUK)
DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS (Click photos to view; mouse over and click large photo to zoom in.)
ADULT (illustrated): Head: Proboscis with broad median pale band; vertex with erect brownish scales. Thorax: Scutum with unicolorous dark scales; acrostichal setae present; pleuron with distinct scale patches; postspiracular scales absent; mesepimeral setae absent; lower mesokatepisternal scales present. Legs: Fe-I,II dark anteriorly; Ta-I–III with pale bands. Wing: Wing dark-scaled; vein R2+3 shorter than R2. Abdomen: Terga only with basal pale bands.
LARVA (not illustrated): Head: Dorsal apotome distinctly separated from median labral plate; seta 1-C sharp, tapered; seta 6-C double. Thorax: Seta 4-P usually double. Abdominal segments: seta 7-I double. Terminal segments: Comb scales evenly fringed; siphon long; pecten not reaching apex of siphon; saddle shorter than anal papillae.
TAXONOMIC KEYS
Harbach 1988
Lee et al. 1989a
Darsie & Pradhan 1990
Jupp 1996
Tanaka 2004a
Rattanarithikul et al. 2005
Becker et al. 2010
WRBU – Culex (Cux.) - Afrotropical Region (West Africa) – Adult
Exemplar DNA sequences
Cx. tritaeniorhynchus COI: KJ012243–50, KM350641–69; KM362833–50
BIONOMICS
Immatures
Culex tritaeniorhynchus is closely associated with rice agriculture—larval densities are highest in areas of rice cultivation, especially when the rice is high and dense, creating optimal shade levels.
Adults
During the rice harvest and hot seasons, where people sleep outdoors, the exophilic Cx. tritaeniorhynchus populations can become exceptionally high, causing a biting nuisance at dusk. Like the closely related Cx. vishnui, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus is highly attracted to cows and pigs, and only feeds occasionally on humans. In India, it is the dominant species collected at cattle sheds and pig sties. Culex tritaeniorhynchus from Japan are distinctly larger, produce fewer egg batches and have longer generation times than strains from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Taiwan. Japanese populations overwinter as adult females. Due to its affiliation with pigs, it is an important vector of Japanese encephalitis virus, and vertical transmission has been noted, with F1 progeny capable of transmitting the virus.
DISTRIBUTION NOTES
Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Borneo, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel (and Gaza Strip & West Bank), Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar (includes Glorioso & Juan De Nova Is), Malaysia, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia (Wake Island), Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, People's Republic of China, Philippines, Reunion, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.
WRBU VECTOR HAZARD REPORTS
VHR: Medically Important Mosquitoes of EUCOM
View other WRBU Vector Hazard Reports
Available GIS Models:
Cx_tritaeniorhynchus_Nyari_1 Global
Cx_tritaeniorhynchus_Miller_1 Global
Cx_tritaeniorhynchus_Masuoka_1 Palearctic
IMPORTANT REFERENCES (full citations below)
Giles 1901a: 606 (A)
Macfie & Ingram 1922 (F*)
Barraud 1923c (L*)
Kirkpatrick 1925b: 111 (M*, F, P*, L*)
Barraud 1934: 404 (M*, F, L*)
Bohart & Ingram 1946b: 81 (M*, F, L*; bionomics, distribution, taxonomy)
LaCasse & Yamaguti 1950 (F*)
LaCasse & Yamaguti 1950: 230 (M*, F*, P*, L*; bionomics, distribution, taxonomy; as summorosus)
Ovazza et al. 1956: 169 (L*)
Colless 1957a: 100 (taxonomy)
Hara 1957 (F*)
Hara 1957: 56 (F*; as tritaeniorhynchus)
Joshi et al. 1965 (distribution; Nepal)
Bram 1967b: 225 (M*, F*, P*, L*; bionomics, distribution, taxonomy)
Reuben 1969: 650 (M*, F*, L*)
Aslamkhan 1971b (distribution; Pakistan)
Basio 1971b: 60 (M*; bionomics)
Matsuo & Iwaki 1972: 349 (taxonomy)
Gutsevich et al. 1974: 382 (M*, F*, L*)
Baisas 1974: 104 (M, F, P, L*; taxonomy, bionomcis, distribution; Philippines; as ssp summorosus)
Sirivanakarn 1975a: 73 (M*, F*, P*, L*)
Tanaka et al. 1975c: 219 (bionomics, distribution)
Sirivanakarn 1976: 129 (M*, F*, P*, L*; distribution)
Rodhain et al. 1977 (distribution)
Tanaka et al. 1979: 100 (M*, F*, L*)
Ahmed 1987 (distribution; Bangladesh)
Harbach 1988: 106 (M*, F, P*, L*; taxonomy, keys, bionomics, distribution)
Lee et al. 1989a: 259 (F key, taxonomy, bionomics, distribution, review)
Darsie & Pradhan 1990 (F, L; taxonomy, keys, bionomics, distribution; Nepal)
Suleman et al. 1993 (distribution; Pakistan)
Jupp 1996 (M*, F*; key)
Al-Houty 1997 (distribution; Kuwait)
Amr et al. 1997 (distribution; Jordan)
Whelan & Hapgood 2000 (bionomics, distribution; East Timor)
Samanidou & Harbach 2003: 15 (distribution; Greece)
Tanaka 2004a: 23 (P*; taxonomy, key)
Rattanarithikul et al. 2005a (F*, L*; bionomics, keys, distribution; Thailand)
Rueda et al. 2008: 398 (distribution)
Suman et al. 2008 (E*)
Becker et al. 2010: 349 (F*, L*; key, taxonomy, distribution, bionomics)
Namazov 2014 (distribution; Azerbaijan)
Robert et al. 2019 (distribution, Euro-Mediterranean)
CURRENT SYNONYMS
syn. biroi Theobald
1905f: 82 (M*, F). Type locality: Bombay, India (HNM).
syn. summorosus Dyar
1920h: 180 (M; as species). Type locality: Los Banos [Laguna, Luzon], Philippines (USNM). References: Colless 1957a: 98 (M*, F, L*; taxonomy, to subspecies); Bram 1967b: 225 (synonymy with tritaeniorhynchus); Sirivanakarn 1976: 129 (taxonomy).
syn. siamensis Barraud & Christophers
1931: 283 (M; as variety). Type locality: Chiengmai, Thailand (NHMUK). References: Mattingly 1956a: 37 (lectotype designation); Colless 1957a: 98 (synonymy).
CITED REFERENCES
Ahmed, T.U. (1987). Checklist of the mosquitoes of Bangladesh. Mosquito Systematics, 19(3), 187–200.
Al-Houty, W. (1997) Checklist of the insect fauna of Kuwait. Kuwait Journal of Science and Engineering, 24(1): 145-162.
Amr, Z.S., Al-Khalili, Y.H., & Arbaji, A. (1997). Larval mosquitoes collected from northern Jordan and the Jordan Valley. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 13(4), 375–378.
Aslamkhan, M. (1971b). The mosquitoes of Pakistan I. A checklist. Mosquito Systematics, 3(4), 147–159.
Baisas, F. E. (1974). The mosquito fauna of Subic Bay Naval Reservation, Republic of the Philippines. San Francisco: Headquarters, First Medical Service Wing (PACAF), San Francisco.
Barraud, P. J. (1923c). A revision of the culicine mosquitoes of India. Part III. Notes on certain Indian species of the genus Finlaya, Theo. and descriptions of new species. Indian Journal of Medical Research (Calcutta), 11(1), 214–219.
Barraud, P. J. (1934). The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Diptera. Vol. 5. Family Culicidae, tribes Megarhinini and Culicini. London: Taylor and Francis.
Barraud, P. J., & Christophers, S. R. (1931). On a collection of anopheline and culicine mosquitoes from Siam. Records of the Malaria Survey of India, 2(2), 269–285.
Basio, R. G. (1971b). The mosquito fauna of the Philippines (Diptera, Culicidae). Manila: National Museum of the Philippines. 198pp.
Becker, N., Petrić, D., Zgomba, M., Boase, C., Madon, M., Dahl, C., & Kaiser, A. (2010). Mosquitoes and their control (Second ed.). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
Bohart, R.M., & Ingram, R.L. (1946b). Mosquitoes of Okinawa and islands in the Central Pacific. In United States NAVMED (Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department) (pp. 110). Washington.
Bram, R.A. (1967b). Contributions to the mosquito fauna of Southeast Asia. II. The genus Culex in Thailand (Diptera: Culicidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute, 2(1), 1–296.
Colless, D.H. (1957a). Notes on the culicine mosquitoes of Singapore. II.- The Culex vishnui group (Diptera, Culicidae), with descriptions of two new species. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 51(1), 87–101.
Darsie, R.F., Jr., & Pradhan, S.P. (1990). The mosquitoes of Nepal: Their identification, distribution and biology. Mosquito Systematics, 22(2), 69–130.
Dyar, H.G. (1920h). A collection of mosquitoes from the Philippine Islands (Diptera, Culicidae). Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus, 8, 175–186.
Giles, G.M. (1901a). A plea for the collective investigation of Indian Culicidae with suggestions as to moot points for enquiry, and a prodromus of species known to the author. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 13, 592–610.
Gutsevich, A.V., Monchadskii, A.S., & Shtakel’berg, A.A. (1974). Fauna of the USSR. New series No. 100 Diptera. Vol. III, No. 4. Mosquitoes. Family Culicidae. Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House Jerusalem Ltd. (Original work published 1971).
Hara, J. (1957). Studies on the female terminalia of Japanese mosquitoes. Japanese Journal of Experimental Medicine, 27, 45–91.
Harbach, R.E. (1988). Mosquitoes of the subgenus Culex in southwestern Asia and Egypt (Diptera: Culicidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute, 24(1), 1–240.
Joshi, G., Pradhan, S., & Darsie, Jr., R.F. (1965). Culicine, Sabethine and Toxorhynchitine mosquitoes of Nepal including new country records (Diptera: Culicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 67(3), 137–146.
Jupp, P.G. (1996). Mosquitoes of southern Africa. Culicinae and Toxorhynchitinae. Ekogilde Publishers, Hartebeespoort, South Africa, 156pp.
Kirkpatrick, T.W. (1925b). The mosquitoes of Egypt. Egyptian Govt Anti-Malaria Commission.
La Casse, W.J., & Yamaguti, S. (1950). Mosquito fauna of Japan and Korea. Office of the Surgeon General, Headquarters, 8th Army, APO 343. United States. 207th Malaria Survey Detachment.
Lee, D.J., Hicks, M.M., Debenham, M.L., Griffiths, M., Marks, E.N., Bryan, J.H., & Russell, R.C. (1989a). The Culicidae of the Australasian region. Volume 7. Commonwealth Department of Health, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Monograph Series, 2.
Macfie, J.W.S., & Ingram, A. (1922). On the genital armature of the female mosquito. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 16, 157–188.
Matsuo, K., & Iwaki, M. (1972). Morphological differences between Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex pseudovishnui adults from Japan. Journal of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 81, 349–357.
Mattingly, P.F. (1956a). Lectotypes of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the British Museum. Part.II.Genera Toxorhynchites, Aedes (Subgenera (Aedimorphus, Banksinella), Culex (Subgenera Neoculex, Culiciomyia, Mocthogenes, Culex). Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society (A), 31(4,6), 37–44.
Namazov, N. D. (2014). The distribution of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Entomological Review, 92, 280–282.
Ovazza, M., Hamon, J., & Neri, P. (1956). Contribution a l'étude des Diptères vulnerants de l'empire d'Ethiopie I. Culicidae. Bulletin de la Société de pathologie exotique (Paris), 151–182.
Rattanarithikul, R., Harbach, R.E., Harrison, B.A., Panthusiri, P., Jones, J.W., & Coleman, R.E. (2005a). Illustrated keys to the mosquitoes of Thailand. II. Genera Culex and Lutzia. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, 36 (Supplement 2), 1–97.
Reuben, R. (1969). A redescription of Culex vishnui Theo., with notes on C. pseudovishnui Colless and C. tritaeniorhynchus Giles, from southern India. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 643–652.
Robert, V., Günay, F., Le Goff, G., Boussès, P., Sulesco, T., Khalin, A., Medlock, J.M., Kampen, H., Petrić, D. & F. Schaffner. (2019). Distribution chart for Euro-Mediterranean mosquitoes (western Palaearctic region). Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 37, 1–28.
Rodhain, F., Boutonnier, A., & Coulanges, P. (1977). Bibliographie des Culicides de Madagascar. Archives des l’Instituts Pasteur de Madagascar, 46, 485–495.
Rueda, L.M., J.E. Pecor, J., Lowen., R. G., & Carder, M. (2008). New record and updated checklist of the mosquitoes of Afghanistan and Iraq. Journal of Vector Ecology, 3(2), 397–402.
Samanidou, A., & Harbach, R.E. (2003). Culex (Culex) tritaeniorhynchus Giles, a newly discovered potential vector of arboviruses in Greece. European Mosquito Bulletin, 16, 15–17.
Sirivanakarn, S. (1975a). The systematics of Culex vishnui complex in Southeast Asia with the diagnosis of three common species (Diptera: Culicidae). Mosquito Systematics, 7(1), 69–85.
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Suleman, M., Khan, K., & Khan, S. (1993). Ecology of mosquitoes in Peshawar Valley and adjoining areas: Species composition and relative abundance. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 25(4), 321–328.
Suman, D.S., Shrivastava, A.R., Parashar, B.D., Pant, S.C., Agrawal, O.P., & Prakash, S. (2008). Scanning electron microscopic studies on egg surface morphology and morphometrics of Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae). Parasitology Research, 104, 173–176.
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Tanaka, K., Mizusawa, K., & Saugstad, E.S. (1979). A revision of the adult and larval mosquitoes of Japan (including the Ryukyu Archipelago and Ogasawara Islands) and Korea (Diptera: Culicidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute, 16, 1–987.
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CITE THIS PAGE
Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (Year). Culex tritaeniorhynchus species page. Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit Website, http://wrbu.si.edu/vectorspecies/mosquitoes/tritaeniorhynchus, accessed on [date (e.g. 03 February 2020) when you last viewed the site].
