Identification
Adult: wings, legs, proboscis, and palps dark; palps very short; hindlegs held high over body and curving forward over head as though mimicking antennae; abdomen dark above, light below, with sharp dividing line along the side; tarsi of middle leg pale-scaled, contrasting with dark remainder of leg
dark purplish or black scales on antepronotum (anterior edge of pronotum), and pale scales on vertex (top of head) are distinguishing features
Larva: siphon short with many single hairs; saddle with tuft of short hairs, plus pair of long hairs and shorter wider gills than W. vanduzeei
pupa lacks pigmented areas on second and third abdominal segments [circular pigmented areas are present in vanduzeei pupae]
Range
North American range restricted to Florida - southern half plus a small area near the Georgia border (see
distribution map at Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit)
Habitat
Larvae develop only in water-holding leaf axils (tanks) of bromeliads, which grow as epiphytes on trees. Adults are found near the host plants.
Food
Larvae filter small particles of organic matter, mostly at the water surface in bromeliad tanks.
Adult females feed until late afternoon but not after dark, taking blood meals from warm-blooded animals, including humans.
Life Cycle
Multiple generations per year. Females deposit eggs on water surface or above waterline on leaves of bromeliads. Adult lifespan is about 3 weeks.
See Also
W. vanduzeei has silvery-white scales on the antepronotum
W. smithii has no pale scales on vertex, and is found only in the northern states and Canada, associated with pitcher plants
W. haynei is not found in Florida, and is associated only with pitcher plants
Internet References
life stage photos with arrows to key field marks (U. of Florida)
Bromeliad-inhabiting Mosquitoes - biology, habitat, behavior, and live photos of adults and larvae (U. of Florida)
