- 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
Does a mosquito have a brain, a heart, what organs are there, how many teeth, what does a mosquito squeak, and does it breathe?
Mosquitoes, like any other living creatures, have a certain body structure and internal organs.
- Bloodsuckers have a heart, it is represented by a muscular tube. The blood of these insects is colorless.
- Regarding the brain, it must be said that it also exists. It is represented in mosquitoes by the suprapharyngeal ganglia. They are divided into 3 parts and form the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. Each part of the brain performs its own functions.
- Many people wonder whether bloodsuckers have teeth. Mosquitoes have teeth, moreover, they play an incredibly important role in the life of this insect. After all, it is with the help of teeth that a mosquito bites through the donor’s skin. However, they have an unusual appearance for us - prickly bristles. An adult mosquito can have about 50 of them.
Structure of a mosquito
- The insect makes a squeak using nothing other than its wings. Due to the frequent flapping of thin wings, such a sound is formed that is unpleasant to our ears.
- Unlike people, all insects breathe using the trachea, and not the lungs, since they simply do not have the latter. The tracheas of bloodsuckers are represented by tubes through which air passes and which come out on the sides of the body with peculiar openings - spiracles.
- Generally speaking, these insects have a nervous system, oral apparatus, excretory organs, a heart and, accordingly, a circulatory system, genitals, and a respiratory system.
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: Bear
