Aedes
| Aedes | |
|---|---|
| Aedes aegypti | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Tribe: | Aedini |
| Genus: | Aedes Meigen, 1818 |
| Type species | |
| Aedes cinereus Meigen, 1818 | |
| Species | |
Aedes (also known as the tiger mosquito) is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: Aedes albopictus, a particularly invasive species, was spread to the Americas, including the United States, in the 1980s, by the used-tire trade.
It was first described and named by German entomologist Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1818; the generic name comes from Ancient Greek ἀηδής (aēdēs), meaning 'unpleasant' or 'odious'. The type species for Aedes is Aedes cinereus.