There are approximately 2,700 mosquito species worldwide, with the most common genera being Aedes, Culex, and Anopheles. Mosquitoes feed on nectar and blood from warm-blooded animals. They have distinct morphological features at different life stages, including wing patterns, egg-laying behaviors, larval breathing positions, and pupal development. Mosquitoes damage humans by causing irritation and transmitting diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Management strategies include avoiding bites, eliminating breeding sites, and using nets, repellents, insecticides, and biological controls.

1. MOSQUITOES
Genre (Aedes, Anopholes and Culex)

2. Distribution
 2,700 species worldwide.
 Common genera are Aedes, Culex and Anopheles
Food
 Nectar
 Blood of warm blooded animals
Morphology
Adult
Anopheles: White and black or rusty-red spotting on the wings. When biting or resting the long
axis of the body is at angle to the surface on which it is sitting

3.  Culex: Is dark brown to black in color . when biting or resting the long axis of the body
is parallel to the surface on which it is sitting
 Aedes: Peculiar white lyre like pattern on the thorax, when biting or resting the long
axis of the body is parallel to the surface on which it is sitting

4. Egg
 Anopheles
 Expanded at the middle and pointed at both ends.
 laid singly in the water
 Culex
 Eggs are laid in batches,
 float on the surface of water and look like rafts
 Aedes
 laid singly in the water

5. Larvae
 Head large, chewing type of mouth parts, thorax swollen, without legs, abdomen
slender and bears on 8th segment or next to last abdominal segment a tube called as
siphon (a tubular organ in an aquatic animal through which water can be taken in or
expelled), siphon is short.

6. Larvae (Continued)
 In case of Anopheles, larvae lie parallel to the surface of water while
breathing
 In case of Culex and Aedes, the larvae lie hanging in the water with head
down wards while breathing

7. Pupae
 Pupae of three genera are almost similar .
 very un-usual, the actively swim, breath through two trumpet like tubes on
the thorax, eyes large, wings and legs can be seen developing through the
body wall.

9. Damage
 Irritation
 Carriers of important diseases
Malaria
 There are several kinds of malaria caused by microscopic organisms i.e.
Plasmodium vivax, P. malaria, P. falciparum and P. ovale (Phylum Protozoa:
class Sporozoa).
 They destroy the red corpuscles and causing anemia accompanied by fever
and sweating
Dengue
 Dengue fever is carried by Aedes spp. The casual organism of this disease is
virus

10. Management
 1. Wear long sleeved clothes to avoid biting
 2. Eliminate breeding places by draining and pumping out the water
 3. Mosquito net
 4. Mosquito repellents
 5. Spray Deltamethrin
 6. Bio-control through Gambusia spp for larvae