Anopheles (Cellia) superpictus Grassi, 1899

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A., Ahmad, Syed Kamran, Turner, James & Azari-Hamidian, Shahyad, 2023, An overview of the mosquitoes of Saudi Arabia (Diptera: Culicidae), with updated keys to the adult females, Zootaxa 5394 (1), pp. 1-76 : 21

Anopheles (Cellia) superpictus Grassi, 1899 s.l. ( Fig. 17 )

Type locality. Italy.

Distribution. This species is found in the Oriental and Palaearctic Regions ( Azari-Hamidian et al. 2019). In the Middle East and North Africa, it has been recorded in Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey ( Zahar 1974; Harbach et al. 1989; Ramsdale 1990; Minář 1991; Glick 1992; Al-Khalili et al. 2000; Brunhes et al. 2000; Rueda et al. 2008; Alahmed 2012; Tabbabi et al. 2017; Hanafi-Bojd et al. 2018; Azari-Hamidian et al. 2019; Wilkerson et al. 2021). It was recorded for the first time in Saudi Arabia by Zahar (1974).

Remarks. Shemshad et al. (2007) detected four haplotypes in An. superpictus in Iran based on COI and COICOII sequences. Oshaghi et al. (2007a, b) and Oshaghi et al. (2008) found three genotypes, denoted as X, Y and Z, based on COI, COII and ITS2 sequences, and thus recognized a complex of species which cannot be distinguished morphologically. These forms were later listed as species A and B by Harbach (2013).

Medical importance. Anopheles superpictus is a malarial vector in Asia, Europe and northern Africa ( Nejati et al. 2013; Hanafi-Bojd et al. 2018). Also, the species is known to be a vector of Dirofilaria immitis and Rift Valley fever virus ( Ludham et al. 1970; Azari-Hamidian et al. 2009; Wilkerson et al. 2021).

Figures

FIGURE 17. Anopheles superpictus s.l., male (photo by Rachel Diaz-Bastin, California Academy of Sciences).