Species Culiseta incidens

Cool Weather Mosquito

Culex incidens Thompson 1869

Adult female: Large mosquito, proboscis usually with slight downward curve, proboscis and palps mostly dark-scaled, bare hypostigmal area, tarsomeres 2+3 with indistinct narrow rings of pale scales apically and basally, extensive wing spotting from aggregations of dark scales, pale scales only on distal portion of costa.

4th Instar Larva: Antenna mostly smooth, with some small spicules, Seta 5-C with 5 or more branches, shorter than 6-C which is 2-4 branched, seta 1-P multiple, 3-P 4-branched, saddle pierced by 2 or more precratal setae, seta 1-X fine and shorter than saddle.

Western Canada and US from Pacific Coast (Mexican border to Alaskan Panhandle) east to Saskatchewan south to northwestern Texas.

Shaded pools, slow streams, ditches, containers, polluted waters, coastal rock pools.

On coast from April-November, overwinters as adult

Multivoltine, several generations per year on coast. Females lay egg rafts on surface of water, late season larvae develop into diapausing adults that mate and overwinter in sheltered locations such as rock slides, caves, mines and burrows.

The most common peridomestic mosquito on the West Coast, especially in urban areas, favoring container habitats. Large and easy to identify due to spotting on wings. Sometimes diapausing females enter homes to overwinter.

The Mosquitoes of Canada(1), pg 297.

Indentification and Geographic Distribution of the Mosquitoes of North America (North of Mexico)(2)