Family: Culicidae, Mosquitoes view all from this family

Description 1/8-1/4" (3-6 mm). Thorax brown to dark brown with light stripe down center. Abdomen dark brown. Legs dark brown with femora lighter below. Wings have dark brown scales.

Warning Female mosquitoes suck the blood of mammals, including humans, leaving an itchy wound. Mosquitoes are capable of passing diseases from one host organism to the next, including malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever, and various types of encephalitis.

Food Male sips plant juices; female takes blood of mammals, including humans. Larva feeds on microscopic aquatic plants.

Life Cycle Eggs are dropped in temporary pools. Larvae, active March-November in the South, feed, pupate, and emerge over an extended period. More than 1 generation a year.

Habitat Near shallow temporary pools.

Range New Jersey to Florida, west to Texas, north to Kansas.

Discussion The mosquito population increases after summer rains, because the number of places where they can breed multiplies.