Culex

Culex
Close-up photo of a mosquito
Culex pipiens female
Mosquito perched on a green leaf
Culex sp. male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Subfamily: Culicinae
Tribe: Culicini
Genus: Culex
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Culex pipiens
Linnaeus, 1758
Diversity
Over 1,000 species
Diagram of larva body with parts labeled
Anatomy of a Culex larva
Diagram of adult mosquito body with parts labeled
Anatomy of a Culex adult

Culex or typical mosquitoes are a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis, or St. Louis encephalitis, but also filariasis and avian malaria. They occur worldwide except for the extreme northern parts of the temperate zone, and are the most common form of mosquito encountered in some major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles.