The Identification of Adult Female Aedes Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) of the Black-Legged Group Taken in the Field at Churchill, Manitoba

The present status of the taxonomy of the black-legged species complex within the genus Aedes is discussed. The complex in the Churchill region includes Aedes nigripes (Zetterstedt), A. impiger Dyar (equals A. nearcticus Dyar), A. pionips Dyar, A. communis (De Geer), A. punctor (Kirby), A. hexodontus Dyar, A. cinereus Meigen, and may involve A. intrudens Dyar, A. implicatus Vockeroth (equals A. impiger Dyar), and A. sticticus (Meigen). The difficulty of separation of the females with the existing taxonomic characters is pointed out, especially if badly rubbed specimens or specimens preserved in alcohol are to be studied. Characters are then presented to separate all the species in the complex except A. punctor from A. hexodontus and A. intrudens from A. communis. Since, in the Churchill region, the larvae of A. punctor are rarely found, and those of A. intrudens have not yet been found, these exceptions are of minor importance.