Posted by Tony Irwin on 13-09-2017 20:22
#14
The tri-lobed scutellum is indicative of the subfamily Culicinae, which includes
Culex,
Culiseta,
Aedes,
Ochlerotatus,
Coquillettidia and
Orthopodomyia among others. Only the Anophelinae have a simply rounded scutellum. The palps are indeed short, which is another good way to distinguish the females of Culicinae from Anophelinae. With the exception of
Aedes (
sensu stricto), all male mosquitoes have long palps. Apart from the genitalia, the sexes can be separated by the antennae, which are more densely and longer-haired in the male. The dense covering of scales on the abdomen is typical of Culicinae, but not Anophelinae. But beware of old specimens - the scales are easily lost.