Three new species of Culex (Melanoconion) (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Amazon forest

Résumé fourni par la source

Culex mosquitoes of the subgenus Melanoconion Theobald, 1903 of the genus Culex Linnaeus, 1758 include numerous species recognized as vectors of viruses to humans. This subgenus is the most speciose among the entire mosquito fauna of the Americas. However, despite decades of taxonomic research, many species remain undiscovered, undescribed or misinterpreted, especially in the Amazonian biome. In this article, we provide the description of three new species of Culex (Melanoconion) collected in the northeastern Amazon forest of French Guiana. Culex (Mel.) naufragabilis sp. nov., Culex (Mel.) ripisylvus sp. nov. and Culex (Mel.) wayampi sp. nov. are described based on both morphological features of the male genitalia and DNA barcodes obtained from type specimens. These species are, respectively, morphologically closer to Culex (Mel.) brachiatus Hutchings & Sallum, 2008, Culex (Mel.) silvai Duret, 1968 and Culex (Mel.) creole Anduze, 1949b than to any other described species. Diagnostic characters to assist their identification are provided and their placement within the infrasubgeneric classification of the subgenus Melanoconion is discussed.

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