Mosquitoes

Wings speckled with dark pale-coloured scales, there are no scales on the abdomen. Female palps almost as long as proboscis, the male palps are usually clubbed. When resting the abdomen is held at an angle from the surface on which the mosquito is standing.

Mosquitoes are ubiquitous insects, they can be found in nearly every type of climatic region of the world from the arctic regions to the tropics. Mosquitoes can transmit many diseases to both humans and animals, eg. malaria, filariasis, yellow fever, encephalitis and dengue fever. Most mosquitoes feed from sunset onwards. The female mosquito pierces the host’s skin with her mouthparts and locates a blood vessel from which to suck the blood.