Distribution of Culex coronator in the USA.

In 1920, Culex coronator was reported from San Benito, Texas, and later in Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. In 2005, this species was reported to be spreading across the southeastern USA. Now reported in 14 states, it has been found as far north as northern Oklahoma; Memphis, TN; and Suffolk, VA. The public health significance of Cx. coronator is not firmly established, even though it has been implicated as a potential vector of several arboviral diseases. This study aims to document additional Cx. coronator county-level records, to provide information about its continued expansion across the southern USA, and to provide a short research update into its vector potential. Data acquired through multistate collaborations and author collections resulted in 146 new county records from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. No new county records were presented for Arizona, New Mexico, Tennessee, or Virginia, which had previously reported this species. With these new data, this species has been documented in 386 counties in 14 states of the continental USA.

Distribution of Culex coronator in Texas.

The distribution of Culex coronator Dyar and Knab by county in Texas was updated by combining data from peer-reviewed literature, military and government reports, and university and private collections, and by collecting specimens from counties where data had not been reported. With 254 counties in Texas, the initial collection effort was focused on counties east of US Highway 277, which runs from Val Verde County on the US and Mexico border to Wichita County on the Texas and Oklahoma border. The study resulted in 127 counties with Cx. coronator presence data. The remaining 127 counties need to be surveyed for this species.