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Culex coronator

Culex coronator[2]

Culex coronator is a mosquito from the American tropics that has spread east across the southern United States since the early 2000s, reaching Florida in 2005, Memphis and Virginia by 2016 to 2017. It breeds in ditches, ponds and containers such as old tires, feeds mostly on mammals, and researchers are still working out how much it matters for disease.[11][10][7][12][13][14][5]

Group
Insect
Order
Diptera
Family
Culicidae
US records
5 states
Sources
18 cited
Updated
2026-11-11

No licensed photo of this species is available yet; the identification notes below describe what to look for.

On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • It is a Culex mosquito. Like others in the genus, females lay their eggs stuck together in a floating raft of 100 to 300 eggs on standing water.[3]
  • It belongs to the Culex coronator complex, a group of very similar species. Specialists confirm the species under the microscope, often by dissecting male genitalia because females of such groups look alike, and sometimes with DNA sequencing.[17][10]
  • Male specimens from Texas and Mississippi suggest that only Culex coronator itself, not the other members of the complex, is spreading into the southeastern U.S.[7]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus)Breeds in the same tires and containers in Mississippi, but in a Louisiana blood-meal study only 40.1% of its meals came from mammals (94.6% for Culex coronator), and it was the species with the most human blood meals (7%).[13][14]
Florida SLE mosquito (Culex nigripalpus)Another Culex expanding its range north (it was among the new records in a 2022 Virginia survey). In the Louisiana study 66.1% of its blood meals came from mammals and 2.7% contained human DNA.[16][14]

Where it lives

Native to the American tropics: first described from Trinidad and now reported in most countries of the Americas, from Patagonia to the southern U.S. It was collected in Texas in 1920 and later in Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Since 2002 new records have come from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida; it reached Miami-Dade County in 2008, and was found in Suffolk, Virginia in 2016 and established in Memphis by 2017. A 2021 review listed 386 counties with records, including 127 Texas counties. GBIF's 1990-2026 U.S. records (about 6,900) come from 5 states on the map, about 90% of them from Florida, with most of the rest from Texas, Georgia and Alabama.[10][7][5][6][11][12][18]

US map: public records from 5 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Larvae use small natural waters such as swales, ditches, animal water troughs, forest ponds and rock pools, and also containers. In Mississippi they have been found in vehicle tires at a salvage yard, and a 2016 statewide container survey found the species in 20 counties, mostly in the southern third of the state in late summer.[13][15]

Culex mosquitoes in general lay eggs on permanent standing water and floodwater areas such as storm drains and ditches, and sometimes in buckets, unused tires, planters, toys, birdbaths or flowerpots around homes.[3]

Females feed mostly on mammals. In East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, 94.6% of 37 blood meals tested came from mammals, and white-tailed deer were a common source, with birds and medium-sized mammals as occasional hosts. Human DNA turned up in that study only in meals from two other Culex species.[14][13]

In laboratory tests, Florida females could delay egg laying for several weeks after a blood meal and laid more eggs after feeding on birds than on mammals.[8]

It is adapting to cities: in Miami-Dade County, trap data from 2012 to 2020 showed mosquitoes of the coronator complex becoming more widespread and abundant in urban areas.[10]

Damage and signs

  • Researchers describe its public health significance in the U.S. as not firmly established, though it has been implicated as a potential carrier of several viruses.[5]
  • Florida researchers consider its rapid statewide spread a potential public health risk.[8]

Health risk

Culex coronator has been implicated as a potential vector of West Nile, St. Louis encephalitis and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses in Peru, Brazil and the U.S., and it has been found naturally infected with St. Louis encephalitis virus. Florida females were highly susceptible to West Nile virus in the lab, but transmission rates were lower: 0-17% at 25°C and 28-67% at 28°C. Zika virus has been found in the salivary glands of wild-caught females in Mexico. Even so, researchers say its role in human disease in the U.S. is not firmly established.[17][13][8][9][5]

Control

Prevention

Outdoors where mosquitoes are biting, wear long pants, long sleeves, shoes and socks, and use an EPA-registered repellent on exposed skin and clothing, following the label directions.[1]

Keep them out

Keep window screens and screened rooms in good repair, with screen doors that close and latch on their own.[1]

Sanitation

Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover or throw out anything that holds water, such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers and trash containers, says the CDC. Jacksonville Mosquito Control sets a shorter interval for pet dishes and bird baths: check and refill them at least every 5 days.[4][1]

Cover rain barrels and other water storage tightly; for containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.[4]

When to call a professional

Local mosquito control programs track this species with routine traps; county programs found the first Virginia and Memphis records that way, and Miami-Dade runs weekly trap networks that record it.[7][12][10]

Common questions

How can I tell Culex coronator from other Culex mosquitoes?
Not reliably by eye. It belongs to a group of near-identical species that specialists separate under the microscope, often by examining males, and sometimes with DNA tests. Local mosquito control programs identify it from their trap catches.[17][7][10]
Does Culex coronator bite people?
It feeds mainly on mammals, especially deer: in a Louisiana study 94.6% of its blood meals were from mammals, and human blood showed up only in two other Culex species. Because it is a potential carrier of several viruses, use repellent and remove standing water anyway.[14][13][5][1][4]
Where has Culex coronator spread?
Across the southern U.S. from Texas to Florida, and north to Oklahoma, Memphis and Suffolk, Virginia, with records in 386 counties by 2021.[5][12][7]

Sources

  1. City of Jacksonville Mosquito Control (Florida), “Avoiding Mosquitoes.” www.jacksonville.gov/departments/neighborhoods/mosquito-control/avoiding-mosquitoes (accessed 2026-11-11)
  2. iNaturalist, “Culex coronator taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/259067 (accessed 2026-11-11)
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “About Culex Mosquitoes.” www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/about/life-cycle-of-culex-mosquitoes.html (accessed 2026-11-11)
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Mosquito Control at Home.” www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/mosquito-control-at-home.html (accessed 2026-11-11)
  5. J Am Mosq Control Assoc, via PubMed, “Sames WJ, Mann JG, Kelly R, et al. (2021), Distribution of Culex coronator in the USA, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 37(1):1-9.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33857321/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  6. J Am Mosq Control Assoc, via PubMed, “Sames WJ, Dacko NM, Bolling BG, et al. (2019), Distribution of Culex coronator in Texas, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 35(1):55-64.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31442181/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  7. J Am Mosq Control Assoc, via PubMed, “Akaratovic KI, Kiser JP (2017), First record of Culex coronator in Virginia, with notes on its rapid dispersal, trapping methods, and biology, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 33(3):225-228.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28854110/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  8. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, via PubMed, “Alto BW, Connelly CR, O'Meara GF, Hickman D, Karr N (2014), Reproductive biology and susceptibility of Florida Culex coronator to infection with West Nile virus, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 14(8):606-614.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25072992/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  9. Scientific Reports, via PubMed, “Elizondo-Quiroga D, Medina-Sanchez A, Sanchez-Gonzalez JM, et al. (2018), Zika virus in salivary glands of five different species of wild-caught mosquitoes from Mexico, Scientific Reports 8:809.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29339746/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  10. Scientific Reports, via PubMed, “Wilke ABB, Vasquez C, Cardenas G, et al. (2021), Invasion, establishment, and spread of invasive mosquitoes from the Culex coronator complex in urban areas of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Scientific Reports 11:14620.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34272411/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  11. J Am Mosq Control Assoc, via PubMed, “Gray KM, Burkett-Cadena ND, Eubanks MD (2008), Distribution expansion of Culex coronator in Alabama, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 24(4):585-587.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19181069/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  12. J Am Mosq Control Assoc, via PubMed, “Trimm A, Insch A, Carlson T (2017), First record of Culex coronator in Shelby County, Tennessee, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 33(4):345-347.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29369022/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  13. Journal of Medical Entomology, via PubMed, “Yee DA, Skiff JF (2014), Interspecific competition of a new invasive mosquito, Culex coronator, and two container mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus, across different detritus environments, Journal of Medical Entomology 51(1):89-96.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24605457/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the full text (PMC3955010).
  14. Journal of Medical Entomology, via PubMed, “Mackay AJ, Kramer WL, Meece JK, Brumfield RT, Foil LD (2010), Host feeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Journal of Medical Entomology 47(2):238-248.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20380306/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  15. J Am Mosq Control Assoc, via PubMed, “Goddard J, Moraru GM, Mcinnis SJ, et al. (2017), A statewide survey for container-breeding mosquitoes in Mississippi, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 33(3):229-232.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28854113/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  16. Journal of Medical Entomology, via PubMed, “Muller JA, Lopez K, Reinhold JM, et al. (2026), Mosquito diversity, range-expanding species, and host-feeding patterns across Virginia's heterogeneous landscapes, Journal of Medical Entomology 63(5):tjag150.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42762483/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
  17. Neotropical Entomology, via PubMed, “Montalvo-Sabino E, Marquez-Ocana OP, Otiniano-Moreno GA, et al. (2024), Description of new morphological variation of Culex (Culex) coronator and first report of Culex (Carrollia) bonnei found in the central region of Peru, Neotropical Entomology 53(4):987-996.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38918340/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the full text (PMC11255002).
  18. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), “Culex coronator: occurrence records in the U.S., 1990-2026 (GBIF occurrence search).” api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?taxonKey=1653144&country=US&hasGeospatialIssue=false&occurrenceStatus=PRESENT&year=1990%2C2026&facet=stateProvince&facetLimit=400&limit=0 (accessed 2026-11-11). State counts are records reported (iNaturalist research-grade, museum specimens, surveys), not abundance.

Updated 2026-11-11. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.