Species Identification Table - Adult
Click on column species names for images
Aedes
| characters | Ae aegypti | Ae albopictus | Ae vexans | Ae bahamensis | Ae fulvus pallens | Ae infirmatus | Ae sollicitans | Ae taeniorhynchus | Ae tormentor | Ae triseriatus |
| PALPS | dark with white tip; clypeus white | dark with white tip; clypeus black | dark with a few white scales on tip | dark with white tip | yellow with dark tip | dark | dark with white tip | dark with white tip | dark brown | dark |
| PROBOSCIS | dark | dark | dark | dark | yellow with dark tip | dark | dark with broad cream-colored ring at middle | dark with narrow white ring at middle (sometimes absent) | dark brown | dark |
| SCUTUM | dark with white lyre-shaped pattern | dark with white median stripe | brown with golden-brown scales | brown with many lines of gold & white scales | yellow with 2 large posterior black spots | brown with a broad incomplete white median stripe | dark with golden scales; paler scales on margins | dark with golden scales; paler scales on margins | dark brown with a medium stripe of white or gold scales (also on head) | dark with white scales along sides |
| THORAX | dark with patches of white scales | dark with patches of white scales | brown with a few patches of whitish scales | brown with patches of white scales | yellow with dark spot near spiracle | brown with patches of white scales | dark with narrow white scales | dark with patches of white scales | dark with patches of white scales | dark with patches of white scales |
| WINGS | dark | dark | dark | dark | yellow | dark | light & dark | dark | dark | dark |
| ABDOMEN | dark with narrow white basal bands | dark with narrow white basal bands | dark with white basal bands shaped like an inverted 'V' | dark with narrow white basal bands | yellow with dark apical patches | dark with basal triangular patches of white scales | dark with white basal bands and median longitudinal stripe | dark with white basal bands | dark with lateral triangular pale patches | dark with lateral basal pale patches |
| HIND LEGS | dark with white basal bands | dark with white basal bands | dark with narrow white basal bands | dark with white basal bands | yellow; lower tarsal segments dark | dark | dark with white basal bands; 1st tarsus with white ring at middle | dark with white basal bands | dark | dark |
Anopheles
| characters | An crucians | An quadrimaculatus | An walkeri |
| PALPS | dark with white rings | dark | dark with narrow white rings |
| OCCIPUT | frontal tuft pale | frontal tuft pale | frontal tuft dark |
| WINGS | light & dark scales; costa dark; wing tip white; 3 dark spots on 6th vein | light & dark scales; 4 distinct darker spots | dark scales, often with 4 more or less distinct dark spots |
| HALTER | knob dark-scaled | knob dark-scaled | knob pale-scaled |
| HIND LEGS | dark with pale 'knee' spots | dark with pale 'knee' spots | dark with pale 'knee' spots |
Culex
| characters | Cx biscaynensis | Cx declarator | Cx erraticus | Cx nigripalpus | Cx pilosus | Cx quinquefasciatus | Cx restuans | Cx salinarius | Cx territans |
| PALPS | long & dark | short & dark | short & dark | short & dark | short & dark | short & dark | short & dark | short & dark | short & dark |
| OCCIPUT | dark with a narrow line of flat, ovate scales bordering the eye | center with light erect forked scales, dark at sides | |||||||
| SCUTUM | brown | brown | dark | brown-copper | dark | straw | copper, sometimes with 2 pale spots | copper; sometimes distinctly red | light brown |
| THORAX | pale; no patches of scales | dark brown spots create striped pattern; patches of white scales | dark with small patches of white scales | very few white scales; if present | dark with few patches of white scales | small patches of white scales | patches of white scales | patches of white scales | patches of white scales |
| ABDOMEN | dark with lateral white patches | dark with lateral white patches | dark, sometimes with narrow white basal bands | dark with lateral white patches | dark, with bronze or blue-green reflection | dark with white basal bands shaped like an 'M' | dark with white basal bands | dark with golden basal bands; 7th segment golden | dark with narrow apical bands |
| PROBOSCIS/ WINGS/ HIND LEGS | dark | dark | dark | dark | dark | dark | dark | dark | dark |
Mansonia & Coquillettidia
| characters | Ma dyari | Ma titillans | Co perturbans |
| PALPS | mostly dark; <1/3 length of proboscis; club-like | mostly dark; about 1/2 length of proboscis; stem-like | speckled |
| PROBOSCIS | dark with narrow pale ring beyond middle | dark with narrow pale ring beyond middle | dark with broad pale ring at middle |
| WINGS | light & dark scales; scales broad with cut-off tip | light & dark scales; scales broad with cut-off tip | light & dark scales; scales broad with rounded tip |
| ABDOMEN | dark; margin of 7th segment without spines | dark; margin of 7th segment with row of short spines | dark |
| HIND LEGS | dark with narrow white basal bands | dark with narrow white basal bands | dark with broad white basal bands; 1st tarsus has white ring at middle |
Psorophora
| characters | Ps ciliata | Ps columbiae | Ps ferox |
| PALPS | dark; 1/3 length of proboscis | dark with white tip | dark |
| PROBOSCIS | yellowish; dark at tip | dark with wide pale ring at middle | dark |
| SCUTUM | dark with longitudinal stripe of gold scales | dark with silvery-lavender tinted scales | dark with golden scales |
| WINGS | dark | light & dark | dark |
| ABDOMEN | pale yellow to brown | dark with apical pale patches | dark with a purplish reflection |
| HIND LEGS | dark with white basal bands; shaggy | dark with white basal bands; 1st tarsus with middle band | dark with a purplish reflection; white 'booties' |
Uranotaenia
| characters | Ur lowii | Ur sapphirina |
| PALPS | dark | dark |
| PROBOSCIS | dark; fat at tip | dark; fat at tip |
| SCUTUM | dark | stripe of iridescent sapphire blue scales |
| THORAX | pale with dark spot and a few pale blue scales | pale with sapphire blue scales |
| ABDOMEN | dark with lateral patches of iridescent scales | dark |
| WINGS | short stripe of pale blue scales on stem of 5th vein | long stripe of pale blue scales on stem of 5th vein |
| HIND LEGS | dark with pale 'knee' spots; white 'booties' | dark with pale 'knee' spots |
Wyeomyia
| characters | Wy mitchellii | Wy vanduzeei |
| PALPS | dark | dark |
| PROBOSCIS | dark | dark |
| ANTEPRONOTUM | purple scales | silver scales |
| HIND LEGS | dark | dark |