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Aedes sp.

Aedes sp.


Family: Culicidae
Order: Diptera
Class: Insecta
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Description


Aedes (also known as the tiger mosquito or colloquially "dengue mosquito") is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: Aedes albopictus, a particularly invasive species, was spread to the Americas, including the United States, in the 1980s, by the used-tire trade.

It was first described and named by German entomologist Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818; the generic name comes from Ancient Greek (), meaning ´unpleasant´ or ´odious´. The type species for Aedes is Aedes cinereus.

Systematics and phylogeny: The genus was named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818. The generic name comes from the Ancient Greek , , meaning ´unpleasant´ or ´odious´.

As historically defined, the genus contains more than 950 species (see the list of Aedes species). The genus has been divided into several subgenera (Aedes, Diceromyia, Finlaya, Stegomyia, etc.), most of which have been recently treated by some authorities as full genera. The classification was revised in 2009.

Characteristics: Aedes mosquitoes are visually distinctive because they have noticeable black and white banding and/or patches on their bodies and legs. Unlike most other mosquitoes, they are active and bite only during the daytime. The peak biting periods are early in the morning and in the evening before dusk.

As disease vectors: Members of the genus Aedes are known vectors for numerous viral infections, including dengue fever, yellow fever, the Zika virus, and chikungunya, which are transmitted by species in the subgenus Stegomyia such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus. Infections with these viruses are typically accompanied by a fever, and in some cases, encephalitis, which can lead to death. A vaccine to provide protection from yellow fever exists, and measures to prevent mosquito bites include insecticides such as DDT, mosquito traps, insect repellents, mosquito nets, and pest control using genetically modified insects. In Polynesia, the species Aedes polynesiensis is responsible for the transmission of human lymphatic filariasis.

Aedes can be detected and monitored by ovitraps.

Sequencing: The genome of the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) was sequenced by the Broad Institute and the Institute for Genomic Research. The initial assembly was released in August 2005; a draft sequence of the genome and preliminary analysis was published in June 2007. The annotated genome is available at VectorBase. An updated and improved version of the Aedes aegypti genome was released in 2018.

Source: Wikipedia, article Aedes sp.. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





Geographic distribution


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Species photographs

Last published photographs

Foto
Photography ID: 480911
  Adult

El Pinar
Canelones
Uruguay
01/27/2022
Mauricio Silvera



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Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
154135527/01/2022UruguayCanelonesEl PinarMauricio Silvera
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Aedes sp. – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 14/09/2026.