Kitching, Reinert & Harbach & Kitching, 2006

Reinert, John F., Harbach, Ralph E. & Kitching, Ian J., 2006, Phylogeny and classification of Finlaya and allied taxa (Diptera: Culicidae: Aedini) based on morphological data from all life stages, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 148 (1), pp. 1-101 : 85-86

VANSOMERENIS REINERT, HARBACH & KITCHING , GEN. NOV.

Type species: Aedes (Finlaya) pulchrithorax Edwards, 1939 .

Females

Head: Vertex with median, pale-scaled patch; vertex and occiput with erect forked scales; ocular line narrow, with broad, silvery scales; eyes contiguous; clypeus bare; maxillary palpus and proboscis darkscaled.

Thorax: Scutum with narrow, curved scales; pale scales forming relatively narrow stripe on anterior and posterior acrostichal areas and extending to prescutellar area, similar stripe on posterior dorsocentral area extending caudally laterad of prescutellar setae to posterior margin of scutum, elongate, longitudinal patch on supraalar area, prescutellar area with narrow patches on lateral and anterior parts of median, bare area; scutal fossa covered with narrow, curved, dark scales; dorsocentral area with anterior and posterior setae; acrostichal area without setae; scutellum with narrow, curved scales on all lobes; mesopostnotum bare; paratergite with broad, silvery scales; broad, silvery scales on antepronotum, postpronotum (large patch), upper proepisternum, mesokatepisternum (small upper and lower posterior patches), lower prealar area and mesepimeron (single large patch extending over upper and lower areas); subspiracular and postspiracular areas without scales; upper proepisternum with 3–5 setae; mesepimeron without lower setae.

Wing: Dark-scaled; upper calypter with several setae on margin; alula with row of narrow scales on margin; remigium with few dorsal setae distally.

Legs: Ante- and postprocoxal membranes bare; hindfemur without pale scales dorsoapically; hindtibia with broad, basal, white-scaled patch; hindtarsus with white-scaled, basal bands on tarsomeres 1 and 2, narrow on tarsomere 1, broad on tarsomere 2; fore-, mid- and hindungues equal, each with 1 tooth.

Abdomen: Tergum I with silvery-scaled patch on lateral tergite; segment VII laterally compressed.

Genitalia: Tergum VIII with numerous broad scales on much of surface; sternum VIII sclerotized, width greater than length, apical margin nearly flat or with very shallow, broad, median emargination, with several stout setae decreasing in length mesally, few to several broad scales, seta 2-S inserted posterior to 1-S; tergum IX comprising 2 long, very narrow, darkly pigmented sclerites connected on approximately mesal 0.70 by moderately pigmented band, 2 or 3 short setae apically on each side of midline; postgenital lobe long, relatively narrow, with several setae distally; upper and lower vaginal sclerites absent; insula liplike, with few setae in lateral patches; cercus moderately long, relatively narrow, apex sharply rounded, without scales; 3 spermathecal capsules.

Males

Head: Maxillary palpus with 5 palpomeres, all relatively slender and in approximately straight line, dark-scaled, slightly longer to slightly shorter than proboscis, palpomeres 4 and 5 with few setae; antennal flagellar whorls with numerous long setae directed dorsally and ventrally.

Legs: Fore-, mid- and hindtarsi each with 2 ungues, each with 1 tooth.

Genitalia: Tergum VIII with small, median lobe on posterior margin; tergum IX comprising 2 very small sclerites connected mesally by tonguelike, median, cephalad-directed lobe of tergum X, each sclerite with small, strongly sclerotized lobe on posterior margin bearing few short, stout setae, lateral part of lobe connected by narrow band with sternum IX; gonocoxite moderately long, moderately wide, dorsal surface with scales all approximately same length, mesal margin without apical lobe, with moderate-size, basal lobe, distal part of lobe narrow and bearing 2 or 3 moderately long to long, moderately stout setae whereas proximal part of lobe is expanded with series of wrinkles at base and bearing several short to moderately long setae (some of which may be narrowly lanceolate), ventral surface without specialized scales or setae, mesal surface membranous; gonostylus attached at apex of gonocoxite, relatively short, slen- der, single gonostylar claw moderately long, narrow, attached at apex; aedeagus simple, tubelike, moderately long; claspette with single moderately long, slen- der, columnar stem, claspette filament long, proximal part narrow, distal part expanded, flattened but terminating in pointed apex; proctiger with few cercal setae; sternum IX with few setae on posteromedian area.

Pupae

Cephalothorax: Setae 1,3-CT branched; 7-CT very long, greater than 6.0 times length of 6-CT; 8-CT moderately long, moderately stout, aciculate, with 5–14 branches; 9-CT moderately long, moderately stout, with 2–6 branches; 10-CT relatively short, very slen- der, with 6–19 branches; 11-CT long, stout, single.

Abdomen: Seta 3-I long, with 2 or 3 branches; 6-I very long, stout, aciculate, single, noticeably longer than 7-I; 7-I long, stout, aciculate, normally with 2 branches (rarely single or 3-branched); 2- II shorter and inserted lateral to 1- II and mesal to 3- II; 3- II, III long, stout, single; 5- II shorter than 3- II; 6- II long, stout, aciculate, single, longer than 7- II; 7- II long, branched; 5- IV – VI long, stout, aciculate, longer than following tergum; 2- VI inserted mesal to 1,3- VI; 6- VII short, slender, with 4–10 branches, inserted posterior and mesal to 9- VII; 9- VII stout, aciculate, branched, longer than 6- VII; 9-VIII stout, aciculate, multiple-branched, inserted near posterolateral corner of segment VIII.

Paddle: Length greater than width, index 1.20–1.42; without hairlike spicules on margins; midrib reaching apex of paddle; seta 1-Pa single.

Fourth-instar larvae

Head: Seta 1-C single, spiniform; 4-C short, very slen- der, branched, inserted mesal and slightly posterior to 6-C; 5-C long, stout, aciculate, often single (range single to 3-branched), inserted posterior and mesal to 6-C and posterior and lateral to 4-C; 6-C long, stout, aciculate, longer than 5-C, inserted mesal and very slightly anterior to 7-C; 7-C moderately long, relatively stout, aciculate, with 3–6 branches; 12-C branched, inserted mesal to and shorter than 13-C; 13-C branched; 19-C absent; antenna relatively long, slender, slightly curved mesally, with few scattered spicules, seta 1-A moderately long, single or 2- branched (occasionally 3-branched).

Thorax: Seta 5-P branched, shorter than 6-P; 8-P short; 4-M branched; 6- T single.

Abdomen: Setae 6-I, II long, branched (6- II rarely single in Va. luteostriata ); 6- III branched, shorter than 6- II; 7-I long, with 2 or 3 branches; 7- II short, with 4–15 branches, differently developed than 7-I; segment VIII with comb comprising numerous scales in patch; 2- VIII branched; segment X with saddle incomplete ventrally, acus absent, setae 1-X short, branched, inserted on saddle, ventral brush with several long, branched setae with short stems, attached to grid with well developed transverse grid bars, lateral bars absent but represented by faint depression, 2 precratal setae.

Siphon: With acus attached; pecten with number of evenly spaced spines; seta 1-S branched, inserted distal to pecten.

Included species

Vansomerenis hancocki (van Someren) , Va. luteostriata (Robinson) and Va. pulchrithorax (Edwards) .

Distribution

Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire and Zambia.

Bionomics

Immature stages have been found in treeholes, a rot hole in the fork of a tree, a tree buttress and bored bamboo.

Discussion

See Edwards (1941: figs 6m, 176 and pl. III- 14) for illustrations of the female genitalia, fourth-instar larva and female of Va. pulchrithorax . Hopkins (1952: figs 62, 63) also illustrated the fourth-instar larva of this species.

Etymology

Vansomerenis is named in honour of Mrs E. C. C. van Someren in recognition of her many important contributions to the taxonomy of Afrotropical mosquitoes, especially those in tribe Aedini . The generic name is feminine, formed from her surname and the feminine Greek suffix ‘- is ’ denoting ‘daughter of ’, i.e. daughter of van Someren. Recommended abbreviation = Va.