Pronunciation
koq-eltidyaa per-tur-banz
Identification
Larvae:
- Distal end of siphon with sharp tooth
- Head wider than long
- Complete saddle
Adult Female:
- Proboscis dark scaled with a median band of white scales
- Scutum mainly golden brown
- Abdomen bluntly rounded
- Abdomen dark scaled
- First tarsal segment of each leg with a median band, other segments with broad pale basal bands
- Wings are pale and dark scales intermixed
Habitat
The larvae live in permanent bodies of muddy water.
Food
Females prefer the blood of birds and mammals
Remarks
The larvae, unlike any other mosquito genus except Mansonia, have saw-like projections next to the siphon to pierce the airtubes of a plant. Therefore, the larvae never need to surface for air. The larvae are also known to dig themselves beneath mud.
The adults are good vectors of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV).
