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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Mosquitoes and Midges (Culicomorpha) » Mosquitoes (Culicidae) » Culicini » Culex » White-dotted Mosquito (Culex restuans)

Species Culex restuans - White-dotted Mosquito

Classification · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited
May 28, 2007 - Mosquito Emergence - Culex restuans - male Culex restuans - female mosquito - Culex restuans - female white-dotted mosquito - Culex restuans - male Mosquito - Culex restuans - female Culex restuans mosquito wiith raised legs - Culex restuans - female mosquito - Culex restuans - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera))
Infraorder Culicomorpha (Mosquitoes and Midges)
Family Culicidae (Mosquitoes)
Tribe Culicini
Genus Culex
Species restuans (White-dotted Mosquito)
Explanation of Names
Culex restuans Theobald, 1901
Identification
- scutum copper-colored, sometimes with 2 pale spots (as seen here)
- thorax sides have patches of pale scales
- abdomen has white basal bands, legs dark
Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (1)
Larva:
Siphon with three or more long, single, irregularly placed setae. The antennae are uniform in shape.
Adult Female:
Scutum mostly golden brown and most easily recognized by a pair of pale spots. Abdominal terga have broad apical bands.

A comment by Omar on an image posted by me (Tony T) as a Culex restuans with reference to the pale spots generated this comment:
"I can see how those can be tricky
But the two spots are usually not a good way to differentiate a restuans because sometimes they are not present." My emphasis.
Note also that C. territans has similar pale spots on the thorax.
Thus it appears that pale thoracic spots are of only limited use in identifying a C. restuans.
Range
CA-FL-NB-BC / Mex. (2)
Habitat
Larvae are found in natural and artificial containers. Larvae are also tolerant of polluted waters. (3)
The larvae are found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, such as ditches, pools in streams, woodland pools, and artificial containers. (2)
Season
The species reaches its greatest abundance in the spring and early summer throughout most of its range, and occurs in lesser numbers during late summer and autumn. The larvae and adults may be found throughout the year in the extreme South. (2)
Food
Females prefer the blood of birds.
Life Cycle
Adult females overwinter in well-protected areas. This is a multivoltine species.
See Also
Culex pipiens
Internet References
Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory - FMEL (1)
Virgina Mosquito Control ID guide and other information.
Works Cited
1.Identification guide to common mosquitoes of Florida, by M.M. Cutwa-Francis & G.F. O'Meara
2.Mosquitoes of North America (North of Mexico)
Stanley J. Carpenter, Walter J. Lacasse. 1974. Univ of California Pr.
3.Identification Guide to the Mosquitos of Connecticut
Theodore G. Andreadis, Michael C. Thomas, John J. Shepard. 2005. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
Contributed by Omar Fahmy on 28 June, 2006 - 9:06pm
Additional contributions by Tony-2, Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, PaleoJon
Last updated 6 January, 2021 - 3:12am

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