Pronunciation
koq-eltidyaa per-tur-banz
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker)
Orig. Comb: Culex perturbans Walker, 1856
Syn: Mansonia (Coquillettidia) perturbans (Walker)
Identification
Banded legs and wide pale band around base of proboscis - FMEL
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
Range
throughout most of US and southern Canada, also in Mexico
(2) as well as in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe.
Habitat
The larvae live in permanent bodies of muddy water.
Season
Larvae: All year
Adults: mostly: June-Aug (BG data)
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).
Print References
Romanowski. M., and T.M. Candeletti. 1984. Identification and surveillance of Coquillettidia perturbans breeding habitat, with observations on larviciding techniques, in Ocean County, N.J. Proc. N. J. Mosquito Control Assoc. pp. 54-58.
