Family Culicidae - Mosquitoes

wigglers (larvae), tumblers (pupae)

kyoo-LISS-ih-dee

Classification of Aedini also reflected in(1)(2)

Culicidae Meigen 1818

174 spp. in 14 genera in our area(3), >3700 spp. in 46 genera and 145 subgenera worldwide, arranged in 2 subfamilies(2)(4) [many subgenera, esp. in the Aedini, are often treated as separate genera -- cf.(1)]

3-15 mm

Wings with scales on veins and along margins; legs and proboscis long; antennae with 6 or more segments, plumose on males and short-haired on females

Cosmopolitan; Maps of Texas' 85 spp. (7)

Larvae are aquatic, developing mainly in standing water (temporary pools, water in discarded containers, saltmarshes, treeholes, etc.); some species of Anopheles lay eggs in very slow moving streams/brooks.

Mostly spring and summer in temperate climates

Male and female adults feed on nectar and plant juices and only females feed on blood because a blood meal is usually required for development of eggs. Hosts may include amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals.

Click here to learn how mosquitos bloodfeed.

Larvae feed on algae, protozoans, and organic debris filtered from the water. However, a few species are predaceous on other mosquito larvae

The eggs are laid either on the surface of standing water or above the waterline in areas subject to flooding; eggs hatch in spring and larvae complete 4 stages of development before pupating; larva stage may last from less than a week to more than a month, depending mostly on temperature and species; pupa stage typically lasts less than a week; adults emerge directly from pupae at the water surface; from one to several generations per year, depending on species and latitude.

Eggs (1), egg rafts (2), larvae (3-4), pupa (5), adults: female (6-7), male (8-9)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Female mosquitoes are vectors of major diseases, including malaria [caused by a protozoan], yellow fever [virus], filariasis [nematode], dengue [virus], and certain types of encephalitis [virus].

Carbon dioxide exhaled by animals attracts female mosquitoes looking for a blood meal.

Non native species

Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus. From Asia, mid-1980s

Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti

No common name, Aedes cinereus. Cosmopolitan, probably introduced

Inland Floodwater Mosquito, Aedes vexans. Cosmopolitan, probably introduced

Asian Rock Pool Mosquito, Ochlerotatus japonicus. From Japan, 1998

No common name, Ochlerotatus togoi. From Japan, likely after the 2nd World War.