Mosquitoes of North America - Species Profile: Aedes cinereus

 Aedes cinereus (Meigen 1818), subgenus Aedes.

Common names: Minute Floodwater Mosquito, Small Woodland Mosquito

Aedes cinereus
Photo by @melodi_96 on iNaturalist

        A widespread woodland mosquito, this species breeds in ephemeral pools across much the Northern Hemisphere. In the United States, it can be found from Georgia north to the Arctic Circle. In southwestern states, Aedes cinereus is only found in higher elevation regions where snowmelts may provide breeding locations. The species is largely absent in Texas, Arizona, most of New Mexico, low elevation regions of California, and Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Where it does occur, this mosquito feeds mostly on mammals.

        

        Quite distinct in its uniformity, Aedes cinereus can be differentiated from other Aedes species by its unmarked brown scutum, lack of tarsal banding, and white connected patches of scales on the side of the abdomen that form a single, unbroken white stripe.

        

Sources

Burkett-Cadena, N. D. (2013). Mosquitoes of the Southeastern United States. Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama Press.

Darsie, R. F., and Ward, W. A. (1981). Identification and Geographical Distribution of the Mosquitoes of North America, North of Mexico. Fresno, CA: American Mosquito Control Association.