Culex modestus (no common name) is a species of blood-feeding
mosquito of the family
Culicidae. It has been experimentally demonstrated to be capable of transmitting
West Nile virus (WNV),[2] and its habit of feeding aggressively on both birds and humans gives it significant potential for transmission of
zoonotic infections from birds to humans. It is believed to be the principle bridge vector of WNV between birds and humans in southern France and is thought to have played a role in WNV transmission in the
Danube delta,
Caspian and
Azov sea deltas, and the
Volga region in Russia.[3] It has also been implicated in Tahyna virus and Lednice virus transmission in France and Slovakia, respectively.[3]
Cx. modestus larvae live in fresh to slightly saline water in irrigation channels, marshes, and rice fields.[8] Adult Cx. modestus females feed on blood of
vertebrates, especially birds, horses, and humans; males feed on
nectar.[9]
^Balenghien T, Vazeille M, Reiter P, Schaffner F, Zeller H, Bicout DJ (June 2007). "Evidence of laboratory vector competence of Culex modestus for West Nile virus". Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 23 (2): 233–6.
doi:
10.2987/8756-971x(2007)23[233:eolvco]2.0.co;2.
PMID17847861.
S2CID34126531.