Biology:Bironella
Bironella is one of the three mosquito genera in the subfamily Anophelinae.[1] Its species are found around New Guinea, from the Maluku Islands east to New Britain and south to northern Australia.[2] The other two genera in the subfamily are Anopheles, which has a nearly worldwide distribution, and Chagasia, which is found in the Neotropics.[3]
Description
Members of the genus Bironella resemble those of the genus Anopheles. They are described as "delicate insects" varying in colour from light to dark brown. Adults can be separated from Anopheles by the pattern of veins on their wings. Larvae are distinguished by the organization of hairs (chaetae) on their thorax.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Bironella is mainly found in the Papuan Subregion of Malesia, centred on New Guinea, although two species are also found in northern Australia. Bironella gracilis is the most widely distributed species, found from Ceram in the west to New Britain in the east.[2] Larvae and pupae are usually found in habitats such as the margins of pools, slow-flowing streams and swamps. Adults have rarely been collected or seen in the wild, but may be captured in Malaise traps in undisturbed forest.[4]
Species
The genus Bironella comprises eight described species, which may be divided into three subgenera:[2]
- Subgenus Bironella Theobald, 1905
- Bironella gracilis Theobald, 1905
- Bironella simmondsi Tenorio, 1977
- Subgenus Brugella Edwards, 1930
- Bironella hollandi Taylor, 1934
- Bironella obscura Tenorio, 1975
- Bironella travestita (Brug, 1978)
- Subgenus Neobironella Tenorio, 1977
- Bironella confusa Bonne-Wepster, 1951
- Bironella papuae (Swellengrebel & Swellengrebel de Graaf, 1919)
- Bironella derooki Soesilo & van Slooten, 1931, syn. Bironella soesiloi (Strickland & Chowdhury, 1931)
Phylogenetic relationships
The phylogenetic placement of the genus Bironella within the subfamily Anophelinae remains unclear as of January 2026[update]. Based particularly on morphological evidence, Bironella appears to be the sister taxon to the genus Anopheles with Chagasia forming the outgroup. Other studies suggest that Bironella falls within the genus Anopheles.[5]
Disease transmission
The biting habits of adult members of the genus are not well known. Only one species, Bironella gracilis, has been reported to bite humans either in the wild or in laboratory studies. Unlike species of Anopheles, no evidence has been found that any Bironella species is involved in disease transmission.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ Foote, R. H. (1963-05-10). "The Mosquitoes of the South Pacific (Diptera, Culicidae). vols. 1 and 2. John N. Belkin. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1962. vol. 1, 620 pp.; vol. 2, 412 pp. Illus. $20". Science 140 (3567): 638. doi:10.1126/science.140.3567.638. ISSN 0036-8075. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.140.3567.638.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tenorio, Joaquin A. (1977-11-30). "Revision of the Genus Bironella (Diptera: Culicidae)". Journal of Medical Entomology 14 (3): 317–361. doi:10.1093/jmedent/14.3.317. ISSN 1938-2928.
- ↑ Rozeboom, Lloyd E. (1954-07-01). "The Anopheline Mosquitoes of the Indo-Australian Region". The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 3 (4): 776. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1954.3.4.tm0030040776a. ISSN 0002-9637. http://dx.doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1954.3.4.tm0030040776a.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Harbach, R.E. (2013). "Bironella Theobald, 1905". https://mosquito-taxonomic-inventory.myspecies.info/simpletaxonomy/term/6055.
- ↑ Foster, Peter G.; Marques Porangaba de Oliveira, Tatiane; Bergo, Eduardo S.; Conn, Jan E.; Sant'Ana, Denise Cristina; Sayuri Nagaki, Sandra; Nihei, Silvio; Einicker Lamas, Carlos et al. (2017), "Phylogeny of Anophelinae using mitochondrial protein coding genes", Royal Society Open Science 4 (11), doi:10.1098/rsos.170758, Bibcode: 2017RSOS....470758F
External links
Data related to Bironella at Wikispecies
Template:Culicidae taxonomy Wikidata ☰ Q9657926 entry
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