- How long do mosquitoes live?
And why didn’t Noah kill those two mosquitoes then?
If the hero of our last article from the “zoology” section is
The ladybug is a very positive insect, then certainly little positive can be said about the hero of today’s article - the mosquito. But you can say a lot of interesting things, for example, the mosquito is a very ancient representative of the fauna of our planet, these small flying bloodsuckers bothered dinosaurs, and even in our time they are no less annoying.
Who are mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are a family of dipterous insects that belong to the long-whiskered group. Mosquitoes have a rather complex classification. The family is divided into 2 subfamilies, one of which, in turn, is divided into tribes, then into genera and species.
Appearance of a mosquito
Interesting fact : among insects, only females bite, since males have underdeveloped jaws. Female mosquitoes are part of the midges - a group of dipterous blood-sucking insects, which also includes midges, mosquitoes and other families.
What diseases do blood-sucking mosquitoes carry?
Blood-sucking insects spread viruses, bacteria and parasites. Let's look at what diseases mosquitoes carry:
- Malaria. The carrier is a malarial species. When infected with this disease, fever and joint aches are observed. A dangerous disease can even lead to death.
- Tularemia. Up to 250 cases of infection are recorded annually. The disease is characterized by fever, severe headache, weakness and aching joints. The carriers are mosquitoes and biting mosquitoes.
- West Nile fever occurs in humans in the form of an acute febrile disease with symptoms of general intoxication, moderate polyadenitis, with headaches and muscle pain, in severe cases with the development of serous meningitis, meningoencephalitis and acute flaccid paralysis. Human infection occurs through the bite of blood-sucking mosquitoes. West Nile fever is a widespread infectious disease that is endemic in more than 90 countries around the world. The most difficult situation is in the European region and North America.
- Japanese encephalitis. In our country, you can become infected in the Primorsky Territory. The symptoms of a dangerous illness in the form of fever, weakness, headache, manifest themselves sharply. Carried by common mosquitoes.
- Meningitis. When infected, weakness, fever, severe headache, and clouding of consciousness occur. In the absence of adequate therapy, it can lead to serious complications. In 10% of cases it ends in death.
- Filariasis. Mosquitoes can introduce larvae into the human body, from which they grow into nematode roundworms, which disrupt the functioning of the lymphatic system. The disease is accompanied by swelling, enlargement of any part of the body, and inflammation of the skin.
Mosquito: description, structure, characteristics. What does a mosquito look like?
The mosquito has a thin body (4-14 mm), long legs, and narrow, transparent wings (their span is 5-30 mm). Most are yellow, gray or brown. There are also green and black insects.
Body structure of a mosquito
The mosquito's abdomen has an elongated shape. It is divided into 10 segments. The chest part of the body is noticeably wider. At the end of each paw there are pairs of claws. There are scales on the surface of the wings. In places where their density is too high, spots can be seen.
Mosquitoes have a pair of antennae consisting of 15 parts. The oral apparatus of insects is of the piercing-sucking type. Both females and males have a proboscis. However, in females it is longer and equipped with piercing bristles.
Interesting fact : although females are larger than males, their weight barely reaches 1 gram. Getting into the web, the insect does not create vibrations - the spider will not even notice the presence of the mosquito.
The structure of the oral apparatus distinguishes insects from other blood-sucking insects. The organs are represented by the lips – upper and lower. Due to their elongated shape, they form a case, inside of which there are jaws. The jaws are small and sharp, file-shaped.
Mouthparts of various insects
Doll
The pupa of a common mosquito is very different in appearance from the larva. She has a large transparent cephalothorax, through which the body of the future adult mosquito is visible. The abdomen consists of nine segments, on the eighth of which there is a caudal fin in the form of two plates. The pupa moves due to movements of the abdomen. The duration of the stage is a couple of days. The pupa floats to the surface of the water, the skin on its back bursts, and an adult mosquito crawls out through the resulting gap. Having spread and dried its wings (this usually takes several hours), the mosquito flies away.
Where do mosquitoes live and winter?
Mosquitoes adapt to environmental conditions. For example, tropical species are active all year round, and inhabitants of the temperate zone in winter fall into “hibernation” - diapause, during which all processes in the body slow down.
Arctic mosquitoes lead an active lifestyle only a few weeks a year, breeding intensively. When temperatures briefly become comparatively warmer in these regions, the upper layers of ice melt. At this time, mosquitoes actively feed on local large animals.
Mosquito larvae in water
Mosquito eggs that are accustomed to a temperate climate are able to withstand cold weather - snow and low temperatures. Most often they float on water and do not freeze, despite the temperature.
Adults can wait out the winter in basements, where it is warm and maintains a high level of moisture. In the wild, females hide in animal burrows, inside logs and other natural shelters.
Habitats
Almost everywhere, except always cold
Antarctica, but these insects are most common in areas with a hot and humid climate, where they remain active throughout the year. In temperate latitudes, during the winter cold, they hibernate, awakening with the arrival of spring. It is interesting that even in the Arctic, during those few weeks when it gets warm, mosquitoes breed with terrible force and are very annoying to the herds of deer there.
When do mosquitoes appear and disappear?
Some mosquitoes can hibernate and wake up as the weather gets warmer. In other species, overwintering larvae begin to hatch in the spring. The optimal temperature for them is +10℃ at night. And the hotter it gets, the more insects become active. Peak mosquito activity is in the summer months.
Interesting: Spiders
