Variation in tarsal claw morphology and the identification of Aedes (Stegomyia) demeilloni/segermanae and Aedes (Stegomyia) simpsoni/bromeliae (Diptera: Culicidae) in South Africa.

Individuals in families of Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquitoes reared from females collected at Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal, were identified as Aedes demeilloni or Aedes segermanae or were indeterminate because tarsal claw morphology, the distinguishing character, varied. Similarly, Aedes (Stegomyia) simpsoni and Aedes (Stegomyia) bromeliae reared from ovitraps exposed at Ndumu, northern KwaZulu-Natal, showed variation in tarsal claw morphology. Variation existed between tarsal claws on individual specimens, which made identification difficult at Ndumu, indicating that tarsal claws may not be taxonomically significant.