Mosquito

Culicidae

Insect with chitinous carapace
Flying, biting, sucking
Parasite, disease vector

Annoying pest
Hygiene and health pest

Bloodsucking species

Midgies, punkie (Ceratopogonidae)
Sandflies (Phlebotominae)
Black flies, Buffalo gnats (Simuliidae)
ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO (Aedes albopictus/ Dengue/ Zika)
ANOPHELES MOSQUITO (Malaria)

Mosquitoes are ubiquitous and dangerous worldwide as unpleasant biting pests, parasites and disease vectors for humans and animals.

Transmission of diseases

Mosquitoes are frequent vectors of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and worms, depending on their area of distribution.
Mosquitoes transmit Malaria, Dengue Fever and Yellow Fever, various filarioses, as well as the Zika Virus and Tularaemia, among others.
Mosquitoes occur in large numbers and are therefore very annoying in certain areas (Scotland, Scandinavia, Florida, Caribbean). However, as disease vectors they mainly occur in animals and not in humans. The genus Culicoides spreads a filarial called Dipetalonema Perstans in Africa and South America (Yorke and Mapleston 1926), but this usually only causes unproblematic diseases in humans.
Sandmosquito (sandfly) bites can cause skin reactions (itching, redness, rash) but can also spread various diseases: Sandfly Fever (Phlebotomus, Pappataci or three-day fever), Carrión Disease, Peru Warts, Oroya Fever or Leishmaniasis.
Black Mosquito (blackfly) bites are usually painful because the mosquito’s saliva carries histamines and anticoagulants into the host’s wound. This can lead to pseudoallergic reactions.
Certain species of Black Mosquito (blackfly) (Simulium damnosum, neavei, callidum and metallicum) are also known in connection with River Blindness, which is caused by the threadworms transmitted by them. This leads to blindness in about 10% of patients and occurs in Africa, Central America and South America.

MORE DATA

Class: Insects
Size: Approx. 15mm
Weight: 0,002g
Age: Several weeks to months
Appearance: One pair of wings, six-legged
Sexual dimorphism: Yes
Feeding type: Blood eater (haematophagous)
Food: Female mosquitoes feed on blood, males on flower nectar
Distribution: Worldwide
Original location: Unknown
Sleep-wake rhythm: Crepuscular and nocturnal
Habitat: Near water bodies, wetlands or swamps
Natural enemies: Bat, spider, insectivorous birds
Sexual maturity: After hatching into a fully developed mosquito
Mating season: March to October
Social behaviour: Swarming
Threatened with extinction: No

Mosquitoes or Culicidae refers to a family of insects comprising more than three thousand species and belonging to the bipeds.
Several genera are distinguished in the Culicidae family, including Culex and Aedes.
With the exception of polar regions and deserts, mosquitoes are found everywhere in the world where there is water.
In Europe, there are about a hundred species of mosquitoes.
Many species live in swamps, where they find ideal breeding conditions.
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the common mosquito or Culex pipiens is the most common member of this family.
Common to all mosquitoes is their slender body, long legs and pointed lancet-shaped wings.
Representatives of the Culex mosquito have a blunt abdomen and no tails (cerci), while the abdomen of the Aedes mosquito tapers and ends with a pair of small cerci that are almost invisible to the naked eye.
Mosquitoes are active during the day, at dusk or at night, depending on the species.
Only females use their long proboscis to bite humans and animals and suck their blood, which they need to produce eggs.
Males, on the other hand, have antennae instead of proboscises and feed only on nectar.
Females seek shelter from the cold in autumn and can thus hibernate. In spring, they lay their egg packs near still waters and water points or directly on the water surface.
The larvae live in the water and have a breathing tube to supply themselves with air. They feed on microorganisms or eat other mosquito larvae.
After the pupation phase, which usually lasts only a few days, they are already adult insects.
Due to climate change, tropical mosquitoes are now also found in Central Europe and are spreading more and more here. They also bring new diseases to Europe.
Sandmosquitoes (sandflies) grow to about 4mm, have large black eyes, slender, long legs, mostly yellow-brown bodies and hairy wings. When at rest, they usually stretch their wings upwards over the body. They belong to the “pool” suckers: with their mouthparts they tear open the skin and then suck blood and lymph from the wound (“pool”).
There are different types of sandflies in areas where the average temperature is not below 10°C. Sandflies have also been found in Germany, Belgium and Austria.
The Black Mosquito (blackfly-Simuliidae) is also a biped and, like the sandfly, belongs to the “pool” suckers.
Black Mosquitoes are only one to six millimetres in size and resemble flies more than mosquitoes. Their crouched and humped bodies are dark (sometimes red and yellow), and in the resting phase they have flat-topped wings and large compound eyes.