g MISC. PUBLICATION 336, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HABITS OF 

 MOSQUITOES 



Mosquitoes are small two-winged flies belonging to the order Dip- 

 tera, family Culicidae. In the subfamily Culicinae, which comprises 

 the true mosquitoes, the wings, legs, and other parts of the body are 

 more or less covered with scales, and the mouth parts are produced 



Figuee 1. — Heads and appendages of mosquitoes: A, Side view of Anopheles 

 female; o, occiput; ft, frontal tuft; 1-5, palpal segments. B, Gulex female 

 (from above). G, Culex male. D, Anopheles male. 



Figuee 2. — Variation in size of different species: A, Mcgarliinus ruiilus; B, 

 Psorophora ciliata; G, Anopheles quadrimaculatus ; D, Aedes atlanticus; E, 

 Culex quinquefasciatus; F, C. erraticus; G, Uranotaenia loivii. 



into an elongate proboscis, which is employed for piercing and blood- 

 sucking by the females of most species. The males do not suck blood. 

 The males can usually be distinguished from the females by their 

 bushy antennae and by differences in the length or shape of the palpi 

 (fig. 1). The size of different species of mosquitoes varies consider- 

 ably (fig. 2). 



