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Culicidae

Culicidae

Culicidae

Taxonomy

  • Kingdom Animalia
  • Phylum Arthropoda
  • Class Insecta
  • Order Diptera
  • Suborder Nematocera
  • Familiy Culicidae

Final host

  • Mammals and birds

    Morphology

  • Adults: mosquitoes have slender bodies (≈ 2 - 10 mm long), prominent eyes and long legs
  • The long narrow wings are held crossed flat over the abdomen at rest
  • The mouthparts consist of a very long proboscis adapted for piercing and sucking
  • The maxillary palps, variable in length and morphology, are of taxonomic value
  • Both sexes have long, filamentous, segmented antennae, pilose in females and plumose in males.

    Cycle

  • Holometabolous with four stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult)
  • Preimaginal stages are aquatic
  • Only the adult female is parasitic

    Location

  • Skin surface (only contact to feed themselves)

    Feeding

  • Partially haematophagous, solenophagous (adult females)
  • Vegetal juices complete their diet

    Diagnostic

  • Adults

    Transmission

  • Adults