Aedes scapularis

Aedes scapularis is a species of mosquito primarily found in neo-tropical regions of the Americas.

Aedes scapularis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Culicidae
Genus:	Aedes
Subgenus:	Ochlerotatus
Species:	A. scapularis
Binomial name
Aedes scapularis (Rondani, 1848)[1]

Classification

Aedes scapularis is one of many species of the genus Aedes. Several Aedes species have been reclassified as Ochlerotatus, with Ae. scapulari sometimes included in this revision.^[2]

Distribution

Aedes scapularis has been recorded throughout neo-tropical regions of the western hemisphere. Larval specimens were reported in the Florida Keys in 1945, and in 2020 the species was reported as being endemic in Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Florida.^[3][4]

Biology

Its habitat was originally associated with forest habitats, but it has become urbanized and is now reported breeding in artificial water containers.^[5][6]

Forattini & Gomes 1988 reported that this mosquito showed diurnal and nocturnal activity, but was most active during the evening crepuscular period.^[7]

Medical importance

It is known to bite humans and can carry a number of diseases, including yellow fever, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, and other human pathogens.^[3]

In 2021, authorities in southeastern Florida stated that, although it has become established there, this species of mosquito is not considered a vector of concern for disease in humans nor other animals,^[8] as the diseases it can transmit are not endemic to that area.