Culiseta melanura

(Coquillett, 1902)

black-tailed mosquito, dark-tailed mosquito

Culiseta melanura, the black-tailed mosquito, is a North American mosquito and the primary enzootic of virus (EEEV). females feed almost exclusively on birds, with strong preferences for species such as wood thrush, American robin, and northern cardinal. The species maintains EEEV transmission among avian throughout its range in eastern and central North America. In Florida, persist year-round in wet tree holes, serving as a that may reseed northern populations annually.

Bulletin (1921) (19803468294) by New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Used under a No restrictions license.

Culiseta melanura Q9000689a by Robert Webster

Depicted place: Oklahoma. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Culiseta melanura: /ˌkjuːlɪˈsiːtə ˌmɛləˈnjʊərə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

Larval development occurs in standing water, particularly in wet tree holes that persist through dry seasons. In Florida, hardwood outland swamps and tree plantations with persistent wet tree holes represent high-risk . The has also been documented in urban habitats including impounded streams and concrete-lined pits.

Distribution

Eastern and central United States; forested regions of eastern North America. Present in Middle America and North America. Documented in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and Massachusetts.

Seasonality

In northern regions, active primarily during warmer months with peaks in late summer. In Florida, populations persist year-round with reduced abundance in winter; concentrate in protected tree holes during winter months when falls below 12 hours.

Diet

females feed on vertebrate blood; males feed on nectar. Blood meals are obtained almost exclusively from avian (94.2% of meals in one New York study). Documented avian hosts include wood thrush, American robin, northern cardinal, song sparrow, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, common yellowthroat, and chipping sparrow. Rare mammalian blood meals (0.8%) include white-tailed deer, horse, domestic cat, and eastern pipistrelle bat.

Host Associations

Wood thrush - primary blood meal 23.6% of blood meals in New York; 30.9% for Culiseta morsitans
American robin - primary blood meal major in Michigan and New York studies
Northern cardinal - preferred blood meal major in Florida and Michigan; 42% of blood meals in Michigan study combined with American robin
Chipping sparrow - blood meal migratory that may facilitate viral transport
White-tailed deer - incidental blood meal rare mammalian feeding; potential bridge to transmission

Life Cycle

Complete with , larval, pupal, and stages. Larvae develop in standing water, particularly in tree holes and similar small water collections. occurs as adults in protected such as tree holes; in Florida, wet tree holes serve as year-round larval and adult refugia.

Behavior

Females blood-feed primarily on birds and seek resting shelters for maturation. demonstrate seasonal shifts in use, concentrating in tree holes during winter months in subtropical regions.

Ecological Role

Primary enzootic of virus (EEEV), maintaining virus circulation among avian . The is not considered a significant bridge vector to mammals; other mosquito (Aedes, Coquillettidia, Culex) are responsible for transmitting EEEV from birds to mammals.

Human Relevance

Major public health significance as the principal of EEEV, a highly pathogenic with approximately 50% fatality rate in symptomatic human cases. Management efforts target larval in tree holes, particularly winter spot treatments in Florida to reduce spring peaks and potential northward viral transport by migrating birds.

Similar Taxa

Culiseta morsitansSympatric with similar and ; both feed primarily on wood thrush and other passerine birds, though Cs. morsitans shows slightly higher rates of mixed avian-mammalian blood meals (11.5% vs. 5.0%)
Culex erraticusShares EEEV status and gopher tortoise burrow association in Florida, but belongs to different with distinct larval preferences

More Details

Viral fitness effects

EEEV reduces Culiseta melanura , decreasing survival and . This has not attenuated over 55 years of virus isolation, challenging traditional views of -virus toward benign associations.

Microbial associates

Field-collected harbor diverse bacterial dominated by commonly found in other mosquito , suggesting stable mosquito-microbe associations established after environmental acquisition.