Mosquito

Mosquitoes make up the family Culicidae within the order Diptera, encompassing more than 3,500 described species distributed across nearly every continent. Their slender bodies, long thin legs, and specialized elongated mouthparts distinguish them from other flies at a glance.

Only female mosquitoes seek blood meals, which they use as a protein source to develop eggs, while males feed exclusively on nectar and plant fluids. This reproductive strategy has made mosquitoes one of the most studied insect groups in entomology.

Beyond their well-known interactions with humans, mosquitoes serve as an important food source for fish, amphibians, birds, and bats, and their aquatic larvae play a role in nutrient cycling within the small pools and wetlands where they develop.

• Slender, elongated body with a distinctly humped thorax and long, thin legs.
• Narrow wings with visible scales along the veins, giving them a slightly fringed edge.
• A prominent, forward-projecting proboscis used by females for blood feeding and by both sexes for nectar feeding.
• Feathery (plumose) antennae in males versus thinner, sparsely haired antennae in females.
• Lookalikes: crane flies are much larger, lack the piercing proboscis, and have a single pair of very long, dangling legs relative to their slim bodies.

Mosquitoes are found on every continent except Antarctica, thriving wherever standing or slow-moving water allows larvae to develop, including ponds, ditches, birdbaths, and clogged gutters. They are most active in warm, humid months, typically at dawn and dusk, and rest in shaded, sheltered vegetation during the heat of the day.

Female mosquitoes locate hosts using carbon dioxide, body heat, and scent cues, then use their proboscis to feed briefly before departing. Both sexes also feed on floral nectar and plant sap as an energy source. Mosquito larvae are aquatic filter feeders that consume algae, bacteria, and organic debris, forming an important link in freshwater food webs.

Mosquitoes undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult, all but the adult stage occurring in water. Eggs are laid singly or in floating rafts on the water's surface, hatching into wriggling larvae that filter-feed and molt several times before becoming comma-shaped pupae. Adults emerge from the pupal case within one to two weeks of egg-laying under warm conditions, and many temperate species overwinter as diapausing eggs or adults.