Description of a new mosquito, Culex (Culiciomyia) sasai n. sp., collected in the southwestern part of Japan (Culicidae, Diptera)

Abstract

Two species of subgenus Culiciomyia have been recorded from Japan, these are Culex pallidothorax Theobald, 1905, and Culex kyotoensis Yamaguti et LaCasse, 1952, and both species are found in the southwestern parts of Japan. Another species of Culiciomyia, Culex ryukyensis Bohart, 1946, was reported from the Ryukyu islands. Since 1948 Dr. S. Hayashi, Mr. H. Koide and the authors have collected many specimens of one species of Culiciomyia, which distinctly differs from the above species. This species was found in Honshu (Ikaho, Fuji, Mitsutoge, Yugawara, Atami, Hakone and Nikko) and Kyushu (Kagoshima and Miyazaki). This species is also different from all other related species of Culiciomyia, and is considered as an undescribed species. This mosquito is closely related to Culex pallidothorax, C. kyotoensis and C. ryukyensis, but it distinctly differs from these species by the characteristics of dark pleural stripes, wing venation, palpal length of male, male terminalia, shape of larval siphon and length of siphonal hairs. The female of this species does not seem to attack human beings. The larvae of this species are found in clear water such as rock pools, artificial containers and the stumps of cut bamboo with Aedes japonicus, Aedes flavopictus, Tripteroides bambusa, Uranotaenia bimaculata and Armigeres subalbatus. The name of this species is dedicated to Dr. Manabu Sasa, who has been a pioneer of medical entomology in Japan since World War II.