Aedes cretinus is a mosquito species of the Aedes genus, similar in appearance and hence easily confused with Aedes albopictus.[1][2]
Description
The scutum (back of the thorax) has a thin white midline stripe that forks at the end. There is a small interruption in the white stripe near the "shoulder" area, about 1/3 from the front edge. The overall pattern is similar to other Stegomyia mosquitoes like Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, but has longer white lateral lines on the back that almost reach the middle of the scutum.[1]
The larvae of A. cretinus can be found in various breeding sites, such as tree holes and used tires.
A. cretinus is known to bite humans, but its role as a disease vector is not as well-established as that of other Aedes species like A. albopictus or A. aegypti.
Distribution
This species is primarily found in countries in southeastern Europe such as Greece, North Macedonia, Cyprus, and Turkey.[1][2][3] Recent studies indicate that A. cretinus populations have declined significantly in Greece following the invasion of Aedes albopictus. The invasive A. albopictus appears to be outcompeting A. cretinus in many areas where they coexist.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Patsoula, Eleni; Samanidou-Voyadjoglou, Anna; Spanakos, Gregory; Kremastinou, Jenny; Nasioulas, Georgios; Vakalis, Nikolaos C. (2006-01-01). "Molecular and Morphological Characterization ofAedes albopictusin Northwestern Greece and Differentiation fromAedes cretinusandAedes aegypti". Journal of Medical Entomology. 43 (1): 40–54. doi:10.1093/jmedent/43.1.40. ISSN 0022-2585. PMID 16506446.
- ^ a b "Correction: Asymmetric Mating Interference between Two Related Mosquito Species: Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus and Aedes (Stegomyia) cretinus". PLOS ONE. 10 (7): e0132862. 2015-07-06. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1032862.. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0132862. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4493156. PMID 26147374.
- ^ Martinou, A.F.; Fawcett, J.; Georgiou, M.; Angelidou, I.; Philippou, M.; Schaffner, F. (2021-11-23). "Occurrence of Aedes cretinus in Cyprus based on information collected by citizen scientists". Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association. 39 (1): 31–38. doi:10.52004/jemca2021.0002. ISSN 2054-930X.
- ^ Giatropoulos, Athanasios; Papachristos, Dimitrios; Michaelakis, Antonios; Kapranas, Apostolos; Emmanouel, Nickolaos (June 2022). "Laboratory study on larval competition between two related mosquito species: Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus and Aedes (Stegomyia) cretinus". Acta Tropica. 230: 106389. doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106389. ISSN 0001-706X. PMID 35276061.
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