See List of Aedes species
Aedes aegypti
Aedes africanus
Aedes albopictus
Aedes australis
Aedes cinereus
Aedes japonicus
Aedes polynesiensis[1]
Aedes rusticus
Aedes taeniorhynchus
Aedes vexans
Aedes is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: Aedes albopictus, a particularly invasive species, was spread to the New World, including the United States, in the 1980s, by the used-tire trade.[2]
First described and named by German entomologist Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818, the generic name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀηδής, aēdēs, meaning "unpleasant" or "odious". The type species for Aedes is Aedes cinereus.[3]
Some species of this genus transmit serious diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever, the Zika virus,[4] and chikungunya. In Polynesia, the species Aedes polynesiensis is responsible for the transmission of human lymphatic filariasis.
The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) genome was sequenced by the Broad Institute and the Institute for Genomic Research. The initial assembly was released in August 2005; a draft sequence of the genome and preliminary analysis was published in June 2007.[5] The annotated genome is available at VectorBase.[6] An updated and improved version of the Aedes aegypti genome was released in 2018.[7]
Aedes mosquitoes are visually distinctive because they have noticeable black and white markings on their bodies and legs. Unlike most other mosquitoes, they are active and bite only during the daytime. The peak biting periods are early in the morning and in the evening before dusk.[8][9]