Research on the mosquitoes of Angola - Systematic Catalog of ...

RillgiRO, H. & RAMOS, H. Cunha -- <strong>Research</strong> ot, the mosquitoes of Angola -- X
quite well with the description of watti. The associated males and/or
larvae, when they exhisted, were, however, invariably quinquefasciatus.
7.5.33--Culex (Culex) weschei ? gediensis Edwards, 1941
C. weschei is a new record for Angola.
MATERIAL EXAMINED. CANGANDALA (24 km SE), 7 larvae, 10.11.1970;
MALANJE, 7 larvae, 1.11.1970.
TAXONOMIC NOTES. Larval C. weschei is highly characteristic, no
other larva being known with a long pecten and a comb of spines.
However, our larvae disagree in some aspects with the description of the
nominate subspecies (24), much as the Kenya larvae tentativelly attributed
to ssp. gediensis by Someren et al. (49). Namely, Angolan larvae have
the extraordinary long, stout and basally branched spines on the dorsal
valves of siphon described by these Authors, similar to those of
C. argenteopunctatus khgi. Other characteristics exhibited by our larvae
are as follows: preclipeals dark, flattened, blunt-tipped, and somewhat
spatulate; head seta A with about 10 (7-13) plumose branches, B bifid
and C usually (76 per cent) single, sometimes also bifid; d single, e and f
with 3 or 4 and 3-5 branches, respectively; mentum with 4 major teeth plus
1 or 2 smaller ones each side of the central tooth; comb with about 6
(4-8) spines; siphon darkened for the distal 1/2-'/,, with index 6-8;
subventral tufts consisting of 3-6 pairs of single, delicate setae of different
lengths, some of them very long; spine on dorsal valve of siphon
longer than diameter of this at apex, with basal branches or denticles of
increasing lengths; ventral valves with long hooks; upper caudal seta
laterally branched somewhat beyond base, with 1-3 secondary branches;
lower caudal seta single; lateral saddle hair usually bifid (80 per cent),
sometimes trifid. Remainder characters as described for the nominate
subspecies. As no adults were available, we are also only tentatively
identifying the Angolan larvae with subspecies gediensis.
The larval pelt described by Pereira (94) from Mogambique (Mas-
singa, Sul do Save Province), was certainly of the nominate subspecies,
as no mention was made of the spine of the dorsal valve of siphon.
122 r:stud.. Ets. e Doc.- 134