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Photo#83951
A **!!#%! Mosquito! - Culex tarsalis - female

A **!!#%! Mosquito! - Culex tarsalis - Female
Kerrville, Kerr County, Texas, USA
October 19, 2006
Size: 8 mm
It's a mosquito, but can anyone tell me the species? Or at least Genus?

Images of this individual: tag all
A **!!#%! Mosquito! - Culex tarsalis - female A **!!#%! Mosquito! - Culex tarsalis - female

NICE
you have a Culex tarsalis. She is the main vector of Western Encephalitis. Looks like she is about to make some more mosquitos

 
Thanks!
Thanks much, Omar. That was a fast reply!

 
And Omar,
Western Encephalitis is strictly an equine disease, no?

....Ed....

 
No it is also a human disease.
if the encephalitis happens humans may get coma or even death, just like EEE

 
Darn!
I shoulda squished her!

 
after you photograph them
you should proably, kill all mosquitos you encounter.

 
All of them?
If you succeded at killing all mosquitos, most river fish would go hungry, including trout, and who knows how many birds, etc. would suffer too. Perhaps, even alligators depend indirectly on mosquitos for food.

 
i doubt
that by squashing the ones you find you would affect the population that much. also all mosquitos except for a few Anopheles and Aedes never lay their eggs in moving water (eg rivers) just temporary pools, so fish would be alright

 
...
Nice shot!
They are also vectors of SLE and WNV!
Then again, in most cases you would have to squish about 50-100000 such mosquitoes to get one carrying virus.

 
nice ain't it?
or you could just be very unlucky and that could be the one carrying the virus, ha