Culex pipiens

SPECIES: Culex pipiens ( order Diptera )

COMMON NAME: Common house mosquito

SIZE: from 5 to 7 mm

LIFECYCLE: When spawning, the eggs are laid upright and stuck to each other in small 'rafts' on the water's surface.

FEATURES: the long proboscis emerges from the upper lip. This is grooved and provides the suction channel. Greyish in colour, the female of this species bites humans and other warm-blooded animals to feed on the blood that is indispensable for the production of eggs. She is equipped with sensors that allow her to locate her prey by detecting thermal emissions, CO2, and certain smells. In some circumstances mosquitoes also seem to be attracted by light. They are active from after sunset until dawn.

HABITAT: stagnant water and wetlands of all kinds.

DIET: the female is blood-eating insect. The male does not suck blood and feeds only on sugary substances.

DAMAGE: they are vectors of pathogens like arboviruses, plasmodium, filariasis, etc.

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