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Important References: Edwards 1921: 73 (transferred to Culicidae)
Edwards 1932: 127 (class.)
Belkin 1962 (tax., bion., distr.)
Belkin 1968 (tax., bion., distr.; New Zealand)
Lee et al. 1988: 35 (tax., bion., distr.; Australasia)
Reinert 2001: 9 (F gen.*)
Reinert et al. 2004 (phyl., class.)
Reinert et al. 2009 (phyl., class.)
Wilkerson et al. 2015 (phyl., class.)
Bionomics
From Harbach's Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory:
Opifex larvae occur in coastal rock-pools containing brackish, saline or hyper-saline water. The larvae of Op. fuscus have also been collected from a hole in a tree trunk projecting over the seashore, a fresh water stream and a horse trough. The adults of Op. chathamicus have not been encountered in nature, but females of Op. fuscus are known to attack at night and produce a painful bite. Males of the latter species exhibit a unique mating behaviour that includes precocious coupling with females before they have fully emerged from their pupal exuviae.
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