Classification within the cosmopolitan genus Culex (Diptera: Culicidae): The foundation for molecular systematics and phylogenetic research

The intuitive infrasubgeneric classification of the species-rich, cosmopolitan genus Culex is reviewed and updated to provide a foundation for integrated systematics and phylogenetic studies. [Display omitted] • The classification history of the cosmopolitan genus Culex is reviewed. •Culex includes 768 species in 26 subgenera, many with hierarchies of informal group taxa. • The taxa are based on superficial similarities rather than natural relationships. • The taxonomic categories do not represent phylogenetically equivalent lineages. • The classification is the foundation for systematics and phylogenetic research. The internal classification of the cosmopolitan and medically important genus Culex is thoroughly reviewed and updated to reflect the multitude of taxonomic changes and concepts which have been published since the classification was last compiled by Edwards in 1932. Both formal and informal taxa are included. The classification is intended to aid researchers and students who are interested in analyzing species relationships, making group comparisons and testing phylogenetic hypotheses. The genus includes 768 formally recognized species divided among 26 subgenera. Many of the subgenera are subdivided hierarchically into nested informal groups of morphologically similar species that are believed to represent monophyletic lineages based on morphological similarity. The informal groupings proposed by researchers include Sections, Series, Groups, Lines, Subgroups and Complexes, which are unlikely to be phylogenetically equivalent categories among the various subgenera.