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Review
. 2023 Oct 20;16(1):373.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-023-05997-6.

Culex modestus: the overlooked mosquito vector

Alina Soto  1 , Leen Delang  2
Affiliations
Review

Culex modestus: the overlooked mosquito vector

Alina Soto et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Culex (Barraudius) modestus (Ficalbi 1889) are found in temperate regions across Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. These mosquitoes thrive during the summer and prefer to breed in permanent vegetative habitats such as rice paddies and marshes. Culex modestus feed on a wide range of bird species but are highly attracted to humans, which makes them a potential 'bridge' vector for enzootic pathogens. There is compelling evidence that Culex modestus is an efficient vector for West Nile virus, potentially capable of causing epidemics in humans and other mammals. This species is also a likely vector for Usutu virus, avian malaria (Plasmodium spp.), and parasitic heartworms (Dirofilaria spp.). Culex modestus can be morphologically identified at the larval and adult stages, and a distinctive phenotype of this species is their ability to overwinter. Despite the widespread establishment of this mosquito species and their role as vectors for human pathogens, we lack sufficient knowledge on this species to implement and evaluate targeted vector control measures. Since Culex modestus can be considered a potential public health threat, there is a need for a better understanding of this mosquito species.

Keywords: Arbovirus; Avian malaria; Canine filariasis; Culex modestus; Mosquito; Vector.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of Culex modestus distribution (as of August 2023). Countries highlighted in blue represent those with at least one report of Cx. modestus, whereas those in grey indicate that Cx. modestus are absent or have not yet been reported. Sources used in the creation of this map can be found in the supplementary material (Additional file 2: Table S1). Created with Mapchart.net
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Identifiable characteristics of Culex modestus. A Schematic of adult abdomen; B adult hind leg; C male gonocoxite; D male hypopygium; E larval siphon. Schematic A made using Procreate.com. Schematics B–E were reproduced and adapted from Becker et al. 2010 [10] with permission from Springer Nature. The black arrows indicate the unique identifiable features
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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