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NSW Arbovirus Surveillance & Vector Monitoring Program |  |
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NSW Arbovirus Surveillance & Vector Monitoring Program | |
 Mosquito Key  for the common mosquitoes of southeastern Australia |
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| Ia.Long legged delicate flies, elongated mouthparts sometimes present, wings without hairs or scales; |
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Tipulidae (Crane flies) |
| Ib. Long legged flies, wings hairy, no elongated moutparts; |
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Chironomidae (non-biting midges) |
| Ic. Wings with scales, elongated mouthparts forming a proboscis; |
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Culicidae (mosquitoes) Goto IIa |
| IIa. Antennae bushy and long; |
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Male Culicidae |
| IIb. Antennae short and simple. |
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Female Culicidae Goto 1a |
| 1a. Palps as long as proboscis (wings spotted black & white); |  |
Anopheles annulipes |
| 1b. Proboscis curved (large mosquito); |
|
Toxorhynchites speciosus |
| 1c. Palps 2/3 length of proboscis (large yellow and brown mottled mosquito); |
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Aedes alternans |
| 1d. Palps less than 1/3 length of proboscis; |
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Go to 2a |
| 2a. Tarsi distinctly banded; |
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Go to 3a |
| 2b. Tarsi without distinct bands; |
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| 3a. Proboscis with a complete white ring on middle third; |
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Go to 4a |
| 3b. Proboscis otherwise; |
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| 4a. Scutum with a silvery lyre-shaped pattern; |
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Aedes notoscriptus |
| 4b. Scutum plain and dark; | Culex annulirostris |
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| 5a. Hind first tarsal segment with two pale bands (orange/brown mottled mosquito); |
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Mansonia uniformis |
| 5b. Hind first tarsal segment dark with a white basal ring; |
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Go to 6a |
| 5c. Hind first tarsal segment largely pale, with apex dark; |
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Go to 7a |
| 6a. Wing with extensive mottling of large white and dark scales; |
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Aedes theobaldi |
| 6b. Wing with few white scales; | Aedes vigilax |
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| 7a. Scutum pale with four sharply defined stripes (large mosquito); |
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Aedes vittiger |
| 7b. Scutum not striped; | Aedes camptorhynchus |
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| 8a. White bands on tergites constricted laterally; |
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Go to 9a |
| 8b. White bands on tergites not constricted laterally (light golden mosquito); |
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Culex molestus |
| 8c. Scutum dark with longitudinal lines of pale scales; |
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Coquillettidia linealis |
| 9a. Sternites pale with large black central patch; |
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Culex australicus |
| 9b. Sternites pale without large black central patches. |
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Culex quinquefasciatus |
Note that this key covers only the 14 most common mosquitoes in southeastern Australia. All information (and most photographs) are derived from:
"RUSSELL, R.C. (1996). A Colour Photo Atlas of Mosquitoes of Southeastern Australia. Published by the Department of Medical Entomology, Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney. 194pp.
