Culex (Melanoconion) gnomatos, Sallum, Hutchings & Ferreira, 1997: 215

Torres-Gutierrez, Carolina & Sallum, Maria Anice Mureb, 2015, Catalog of the subgenus Melanoconion of Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) for South America, Zootaxa 4028 (1), pp. 1-50 : 20-21

63. gnomatos Sallum, Hutchings & Ferreira, 1997:215 (M, F).

Holotype M: Miratucu River , Parque Nacional do Jaú , Novo Airão, Amazonas, Brazil ( INPA –CPEN).

Distribution in South America: Brazil, Peru, Venezuela.

Bibliographic sources: Description of the species (female and male) in Sallum et al. (1997), including taxonomic diagnosis to include in the keys previously provided by the revision of Sallum & Forattini (1996). Geographical records in Pecor et al. (2000); Salas et al. (2001); Jones et al. (2004); Navarro & Weaver (2004); Yanoviak et al. (2005); Hutchings et al. (2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013); Turrell et al. (2005, 2006, 2008); Kondig et al. (2007); Andrews et al. (2014); Lawrence et al. (2014).

Additional comments: Turrell et al. (2000) collected mosquitoes in the field and tested them for their susceptibility to Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEEV) (enzootic and epizootic strains). Their results showed Cx. vomerifer / gnomatos as being highly susceptible to infection with all tested subtypes (IAB,IC, ID, IE) of VEE virus. Such records should be carefully considered since these authors did not separate the species Cx.

vomerifer from Cx. gnomatos with taxonomical confidence. In Turrell et al. (2005) some of the medically important records corresponded as well to an ambiguous identification as Cx. vomerifer / gnomatos , from which they isolated Itaqui and Murutucu viruses. Also, Turrell et al. (2005) registered the findings for Culex gnomatos (after proper identification) including isolations of eastern equine encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, Caraparu, Unidentified Group C and Unidentified Guama Group viruses from individuals collected in the field in the Amazon Basin region of Peru. Yanoviak et al. (2005) found the first confirmed transmission case of VEEV (subtype IIIC) by Cx. gnomatos to a sentinel hamster in the western Amazon Basin of Peru. Correspondingly, Turrell et al. (2006) documented Cx.gnomatos as the most efficient vector of Venezuelan equine encephalitis complex virus (subtype IIIC) in Peru.