genus Culex
- noun
- /ˈdʒɛnəs ˈkuːlɛks/
- Specialized
- The genus Culex includes many species of mosquitoes that are common in temperate regions.
Examples
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The eggs of mosquitoes in the genus Culex are laid in clusters on stagnant water.
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The genus Culex plays a significant role in transmitting diseases such as West Nile virus.
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Scientists studied the genus Culex to understand the spread of certain diseases.
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The genus Culex includes many species of mosquitoes.
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Many people are allergic to the bites of genus Culex mosquitoes.
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Researchers are examining the behavior of the genus Culex to develop better mosquito control strategies.
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Mosquitoes from the genus Culex are often found near standing water, making them more prevalent in urban areas.
Synonyms
A mosquito found in many parts of the world that rests with its body parallel to the surface
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'genus Culex' is fully compositional: 'genus' names a biological rank and 'Culex' is the proper name of that taxon, so together they mean 'the genus called Culex'. This noun + name pattern is standard across languages and therefore readily derivable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Genus Culex comes from Latin: Culex meant a small biting insect, like a 'gnat' or 'mosquito', and genus is the scientific word for a group of similar animals. So genus Culex gives the simple image of a labelled group of mosquitoes, which is why it means the scientific group of those types of mosquitoes today.