Ochlerotatus (Nothoskusea) chathamicus (Dumbleton, 1962)
New Zealand Status: Endemic
Found only on the Chatham Islands east of New Zealand, Ochlerotatus (Nothoskusea) chathamicus is a primitive species from the same stock as Opifex fuscus and Ochlerotatus australis (Belkin 1968).
Vector and Disease Information
The vector status of Ochlerotatus chathamicusis unknown (Holder 1999).
Distribution
New Zealand
Chatham Islands (Belkin 1968).
Rest of the World
Not present
Taxonomic Position
Ochlerotatus chathamicus is the only species known from the endemic New Zealand subgenus Nothoskusea. A suggested change in taxonomy (Reinert & Harbach 2005) has moved the subgenus Nothoskusea from Ochlerotatus to Opifex. The new name for this mosquito becomes Opifex (Nothoskusea) chathamicus. Opifex (Opifex) fuscus is the only other species in this endemic genus.
Diagnosis
A diagnosis is the minimum set of characters and states that will separate this taxon from all others in this set of taxa.
| Diagnostic characters | State |
| Lower mesepimeral setae (one or more) | Absent |
| Base of subcosta on under surface of wing with a patch of setae | Yes |
Characteristic Features
A large dark species; the largest mosquito in the New Zealand area, with a wing length of 6.0 mm (Belkin 1968).