How mosquitoes reproduce: life cycle and description. How do mosquitoes reproduce? How mosquitoes breed

The reproduction of mosquitoes directly depends on feeding the insects with blood. During the active period, females lay eggs every 2-3 days. During the mating period, females attract males with a thin squeak, which is created

wings. Males sense it with the help of sensitive antennae and rush to the females. Insects form a swarm, and mating occurs in it. The reproduction of mosquitoes has one specific feature - blood is required in the diet of females during this period. Insects fly in search of the required ingredient.

Human blood is the main diet of females during the period when mosquitoes breed. People inhabit almost all land areas suitable for life. Mosquitoes also live there. This happened thanks to humans - insects settled after their main victim. For example, the common mosquito can adapt to different climates and conditions, and human blood is an ideal food for it. Each female individual lays from 30 to 150 eggs exclusively on the surface of the water. Mosquito breeding can occur in standing or

low-flowing reservoirs. Some species can lay eggs on damp surfaces. But for the full development cycle to the formation of the imago, the presence of nearby water is necessary. Although a puddle that does not dry out for a long time may be enough.

The eggs are held together, forming something like a raft. There the larvae feed and grow. The larva leaves its house from below, immediately falling into the water. Then it turns into a moving pupa. The entire development cycle from eggs to adults lasts on average 1 week. Like all dipterans, mosquitoes go through 4 developmental phases: eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. They live in water until the adult insect stage. During this period, eggs, larvae and pupae are also eaten by aquatic animals.

Adult mosquitoes are excellent food for insectivorous birds and predatory insects. For example, for dragonflies. But the mosquito is far from a harmless insect. At other times, when there are too many of them, they are capable of attacking a living creature in a huge cloud.

The nutrition of adult insects is of a dual nature: males feed on nectar and plant juice, and females drink the blood of vertebrates. Mosquitoes spend the summer in people's homes, damp and shaded areas of nature, and in rooms where animals are kept. In winter, insects fall into torpor when the air temperature is below 0, or live in warm structures in a state of low activity.

Adults not only cause anxiety to humans during night sleep or outdoor recreation, but can also pose a certain danger. They are especially dangerous for allergy sufferers, and certain types of them are carriers of serious diseases and pose a threat to humans. Control of these insects is of great importance. Mosquitoes are destroyed using special devices, poisonous odors, ultrasound and other means. It is especially necessary to take precautions in years when the summer is full of rain, since mosquitoes then breed in large numbers.

Summer is passing quickly and you want good impressions to last for a long time. The best vacation can be ruined by mosquitoes, appearing out of nowhere in countless numbers. Having tried a lot of means and devices, people wonder how long mosquitoes live and what they eat. An unsuccessful fight against bites gives rise to the idea of ​​staying away from their habitats and breeding areas.

How these insects reproduce - their development cycle

Typical representatives of a huge class of insects are distributed throughout the globe. With the exception of desert areas and permafrost zones. The common mosquito has been a real scourge of humanity since prehistoric times. After all, its bites cause real epidemics of arboviral infections. This is not to mention the malaria mosquito, a carrier of the deadly disease in tropical countries.

Understanding how mosquitoes breed and what they feed on will help you avoid many problems when traveling, when choosing a vacation spot, and more generally, a plot for a house or cottage. It’s unlikely that anyone would be interested in having such restless neighbors.

The first signal that the place is not the best will be the proximity of a freshwater body of water: mosquitoes need water to breed. Ideally standing, but any will do, be it a river bank, a picturesque lake, a swamp or peat bogs. Nearby you will definitely find a flock of mosquitoes.

In the city, they often breed in damp basements, sewers and near water pipes. There are favorable conditions for mosquitoes all year round. In addition, through the ventilation shafts they gain unlimited access to humans, and therefore food.

Eggs and oviposition

In nature, you need to look for a place where mosquitoes live in shallow water. They prefer muddy shores rich in plant debris. In order to reproduce unhindered, the absence of waves is also important, otherwise the eggs will not hatch.

The flight of mosquitoes has been observed since June. As soon as constant high temperatures are established (from +16°C and above), their quantity for humans becomes threatening. Overwintered pupae quickly turn into mosquitoes, and they immediately rush to mate and reproduce.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs en masse. There can be 20 - 30 pieces. at a time, while they are often linked together into a kind of rafts. The incubation period is related to the water temperature: the warmer it is, the faster they hatch. Minimum time – 40 hours. If the water is cold, the wait can last up to 8 days.

Larva

The eventful part of the mosquito's life cycle begins after the eggs hatch. The future bloodsucker has a spindle-shaped shape. During development, the outer shell is shed three times. The growth process has four stages of metamorphosis.

Future mosquitoes swim alone in the water and intensively store energy for further development. To feed on plant debris, they have a mouthparts with active brushes inside. They breathe, swim and grow quickly, provided that it is warm and there are no enemies around. In the life cycle and reproduction of mosquitoes, this is the most important stage. The more the future mosquito feeds during this period, the stronger the new generation will be.

Doll

Pupation occurs inside the last shell, after reaching maximum size. At this stage, the energy of future mosquitoes is not replenished by feeding. The stock accumulated in advance is being used up. The final formation of the mosquito occurs.

Considering that there is no need to eat, only the breathing tubes go outside. Mosquito pupae are not incapable of movement. A movable abdomen with a tail extends from the cephalothorax, providing the ability to swim away from danger.

Adult

The very last stage in the life cycle is the emergence of an adult mosquito from the pupa. They are usually called imago. This is a fully formed, sexually mature individual whose sole purpose is to reproduce offspring.

When adults emerge from their pupae en masse over water bodies, you can see real whirlwinds of mosquitoes: they are mating. On the same day, you have every chance of being bitten more than once. Mosquitoes begin to feed on blood immediately after fertilization. And the smells emitted by a person can be felt several kilometers away.

Considering the diversity of mosquitoes, different living conditions, and therefore temperature conditions, it is impossible to say unambiguously how many days the life cycle lasts. For some species it is literally a few days - within a week, while for others it takes about a month and a half.

Where the mosquito colony will live also matters. After all, the speed of their transformation and pupation, and, therefore, their life cycle, depends on how rich the environment is in food for the larvae.

In nature, mosquitoes breed only in summer. Having settled in the warmth of a damp basement, they are not limited by temperature changes. In human habitation, mosquito colonies breed all year round - the cycle is constantly repeated.

In addition, the presence of potential enemies in the pond or nearby is of great importance. Mosquito larvae, eggs and pupae are of great interest to fish, birds, amphibians and snakes. Among those that feed on mosquitoes, only amphibians and birds are often found.

Lifespan

With the lifespan of a mosquito, things are the same as with the development cycle. It can live from 20 days to 14 months. How long a mosquito lives depends on temperature conditions, the ability to feed uninterruptedly, and the absence of those who can eat or kill them. Adults quickly die of natural causes if the environment is hot. If there are enemies or insecticides are sprayed around the reservoir, they may die before they have formed.

The lifespan of a mosquito near farmland is directly related not so much to the presence of natural enemies and the ability to feed, but to the absence of insecticides and toxic substances.

Sexual dimorphism in mosquitoes of different species is manifested not only externally and in the process of feeding. Males of all species live much shorter - up to 20 days. At the same time, female mosquitoes can become real centenarians. Life expectancy in different temperature conditions ranges from one and a half to 14 months.

How long do they live after being bitten?

The lifespan of a mosquito has nothing to do with the bite: they continue to live after it. The structure of the proboscis allows it to be used as many times as necessary for the reproduction of offspring and future life.

Mosquitoes can bite more than just humans. They focus on mammals, but human skin is least protected from their obsessive attention. That's why we suffer.

Actually, being bitten, people create comfortable conditions for the future population. Because this is the only way a new generation of strong and viable mosquitoes can appear. If there are no people or animals nearby, body resources are wasted to form eggs. The offspring of mosquitoes are weak, and the insect itself dies after laying. Regardless of whether it was possible to eat nectar and juice or not.

By making a micro hole, the mosquito drinks as much blood as the volume of its abdomen allows. At the same time, excess moisture is immediately removed, leaving only the nutritious, thicker component. Having digested it, the mosquito returns and bites again. How many times is this repeated? Until the laying time comes.

Keep in mind that what mosquitoes eat actually depends on their gender and, of course, directly affects the lifespan and quality of their offspring.

Nutrition of the male and female

People often think that all pesky insects are the same, but female insects are more aggressive - they need to complete the mission of reproduction. Therefore, for the average person, the most important thing to know about the life of mosquitoes is what their females eat.

The way mosquitoes drink blood is almost impossible to notice right away. Only after the bite does itching begin and a papule appears. As a result, scratching and infection of wounds.

Before mating, mosquitoes feed the same way - plant sap or nectar. And then taste preferences become completely different. This is due to the structure of the mosquito.

Due to their anatomical features, females actively use the blood of mammals. For what? This is required by the rapid process of egg formation inside the abdomen. The strength of the next generation depends on how many carbohydrates the female can obtain.

The male mosquito remains a vegetarian. It simply does not have special piercing bristles inside its proboscis. It is impossible to make a bite with its mouthparts. At the same time, it is easy to distinguish them. Just look closely: the mosquito's mustache is more voluminous.

In the female, the piercing-sucking apparatus is fully formed. It bites through the skin with bristles on its proboscis. Injects a special secretion that numbs the bite site and thins the blood. And then an event occurs that creates a lot of problems for a person.

Of course, such details from the life of mosquitoes are of interest mainly to scientists - entomologists, ecologists, biologists. As carriers of diseases, they are well known to doctors. For us, it’s more important to choose a good place away from them and take the time to study the mosquitoes in more detail. For what? At least to take care of a damp basement. Take timely measures to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in entire colonies there.

Summer is coming, which means that every person will meet his long-loved insects - mosquitoes. They plague us from early childhood and haunt us even in old age. People even have some kind of myths about these bloodsuckers (for example, that mosquitoes can “recognize” the composition of human blood and therefore bite mainly those with “young” blood), but how much do we know about them?

Mosquito as a species

The mosquito is distinguished from other insects primarily by its elongated (up to 15 mm) and thin body. Disproportionately long legs (six of them), which end in two claws, support a wide chest and an abdomen divided into 10 segments. The narrow wings reach a span of as much as 3 cm. These insects are predominantly brown, yellow and gray in color, but others can also be found, for example, green and red. Mosquitoes have a very light, long body

The mosquito's receptors and olfactory organs are located on long antennae, which are divided into 15 parts. With the help of these “sensors” mosquitoes track their “prey”, and the diet of males differs from the diet of females.

This is due to the fact that females lay eggs, from which mosquito larvae subsequently emerge; For the full development of the “fetus”, a large amount of protein food is needed, which is blood - human or animal. The male does not need protein; flower nectar or plant juice is enough for him. In this regard, the oral apparatus of males is underdeveloped; it cannot “gnaw” through the skin and drink blood.

Mosquitoes cannot squeak, as is commonly believed. A peculiar sound occurs during the flight of an insect, when the frequency of wing movements is approximately a thousand times per second.

The mosquito has very powerful jaws

Cycle of life

There are only four stages in the life cycle of a mosquito. First, the female lays 30–150 eggs in the water; this happens every 2–3 days. The emerging larva lives in a reservoir and feeds on various microorganisms. They have special breathing tubes for breathing. During this stage, the larva molts four times, then turns into a pupa, in which it develops over the next five days. In the cocoon, the larva gradually changes its color, acquiring the color familiar to its species. When the pupa opens, the insect is already mature; this stage is called imago. Mosquitoes live on average up to 3 weeks.

Mosquito larvae live in bodies of water

Mosquitoes live advantageously near bodies of water, which they need for breeding offspring. But they settle in any humid, hot places, including apartments.

Mosquitoes can be found in every corner of the globe, with the exception of the south and north poles and the cold areas adjacent to them.

In urban areas, a male and a female mate, after which the female obtains protein food and then lays eggs. Outside the city, males gather in a large swarm and wait for females there, after which mating occurs, and the female goes in search of a “protein donor.” After the eggs are laid, the breeding cycle repeats. Mosquitoes mate quite often (after laying eggs, the female is ready for new offspring)

The role of mosquitoes in the biological chain

Every organism is part of a biological chain; and creatures such as mosquitoes are no exception. They feed on other insects, animals and birds: frogs, newts, salamanders, dragonflies, spiders, bats, chameleons, water bugs, lizards, swifts and hedgehogs.

Mosquitoes have a very light body, so they do not cause the web to sway when they get into it. Spiders only learn about their prey when they crawl out of their hiding place.

Since mosquito larvae develop in water, they become food for the inhabitants of water bodies: fish, swimming beetles, crustaceans, and water striders.
Gambusia's diet necessarily includes mosquito larvae

Types of mosquitoes

There are about three thousand different species of mosquitoes in the world, including those that carry deadly diseases (for example, malaria).

Common mosquito (squeaker)

The squeak is very annoying

This type of blood-sucking insect is found everywhere and is particularly annoying. Adults reach a length of only 8 mm, but at the same time they can easily tolerate quite serious diseases (meningitis, infectious eczema and others).

Centipede

Centipedes feed only on plant sap

Centipedes live in areas with high humidity and a lot of vegetation: in swamps, ponds, in forest thickets near the lake. This is a large species (the body length of an adult reaches 8 cm in length), which is why it is often confused with dangerous to humans. The centipede feeds exclusively on plant sap and is safe for both humans and animals. True, agricultural land and forest plantings suffer greatly from it.

The centipede larvae are very voracious, eating everything tasty from plant foods both in water and on land.

Centipede

These mosquitoes can be called clean, since they not only do not bite humans, but do not even carry any infections on their legs, as flies do. It is believed that the meeting of a centipede mosquito and an allergy sufferer will not cause any reaction in a person.

My friends, who are allergic to literally everything they can, calmly endure clouds of these mosquitoes during the warm season.
The centipede is very similar to a fly or queen ant

This type of mosquito looks very similar to the queen ant; small birds (for example, sparrows) like to feast on it. Tongues are very important for nature because they produce humus well.

Friends said that they saw these “flies” many times in greenhouses, and they were discovered by flying sparrows. This invasion of insects and birds continued for several days, after which the mosquitoes disappeared.

The adult individual very much resembles a moth with a faded gray-brown color. What distinguishes them from beautiful butterflies is that they have fibers on their wings, not scales. The caddisfly can be called a lover of cleanliness, since it lives near those streams, ponds, lakes and swamps where it is clean. If the reservoir is littered (by humans or simply very overgrown), they will not be found there.
Caddisflies live only near clean bodies of water

If you catch a caddisfly, you can smell an unpleasant odor, which most likely is how the insect protects itself from birds.

A distinctive feature of these insects is that during their adult life (1–2 weeks) they do not feed on anything, therefore they are absolutely harmless to humans.

Taiga

The monument to the taiga mosquito stands in the city of Noyabrsk (Yamalo-Nenets District)

The taiga mosquito differs from its relatives in the painful sensations after the bite. The Nenets say that cold and frost are much easier to bear than the consequences of “hunting” these insects in the warm season.

The taiga mosquito has a very long trunk, which is slightly more than half the length of the body, and fairly powerful legs.

Mosquito-dergun (or bell)

The jerks are very beautiful and absolutely safe for people

Another harmless mosquito whose lifespan is only 2–5 days. It lives in reed thickets, on the banks of rivers and swamps. A distinctive feature is the yellow-green color and very long limbs. The antennae on the head are covered with fairly long hairs. Derguns feed exclusively on plants, so they do not cause any inconvenience to humans and animals, even when they fly in whole swarms nearby.

Culex is a large genus of mosquitoes

Culex is a large genus of insects with more than 1,200 species. Adults reach a length of 10 mm and are distinguished by the characteristic shape of the oral apparatus - a sheath. Culex are carriers of dangerous diseases (filariasis, encephalitis, malaria and others).

Malaria mosquito carries deadly disease

This mosquito got its name because of the causative agent of a dangerous disease it carries - malarial plasmodium. It is quite difficult to distinguish such a dangerous insect from an ordinary one, but knowledgeable people focus on the following structural features:

• the hind limbs of the malaria mosquito are longer than those of a normal mosquito;
• the antennae are the same length as the sting;

Mosquito bite - what is the danger

The female blood-sucking mosquito has sharp jaws, with which it gnaws a hole in the skin of a person or animal, while simultaneously spraying saliva into the victim’s body with a substance that prevents blood clotting. It is this component of saliva that causes an allergic reaction in the form of itching, redness of the skin and swelling. She then plunges her proboscis into the wound and sucks out the “red liquid.”

The female may bite several times until she receives the amount of blood and protein she needs, after which she goes in search of a moist place where she can lay eggs. Unfortunately, mosquitoes do not die like bees, but, on the contrary, multiply after being bitten. The female is ready for fertilization immediately after she lays her eggs.

Mosquitoes are not very picky and bite everyone: sick and healthy, so an infection from one organism through the insect’s proboscis can be transmitted to another organism and infect it. True, there is one important condition for infection - the causative agent of the disease must develop in the body of the bloodsucker, and not just get there.

• The following diseases are predominantly transmitted:
• malaria;
• yellow fever;
• encephalitis;
• meningitis;
• Lyme disease;

Fortunately, HIV and AIDS are not transmitted through the bite of this insect.

In Russia, mosquitoes transmit infectious diseases from one person or animal to another, but a “special component” of their saliva can cause an allergic reaction, which can turn into dangerous angioedema (if not stopped in time).

I have heard several times that people have died after being bitten by mosquitoes because they did not receive prompt medical attention.

Video: why a mosquito bite is dangerous

There is no need to be afraid of the warm season because of some unpleasant insects: you already know what certain mosquitoes look like, which ones are really dangerous for humans, what consequences their bite can lead to, and you can by studying a little more literature , provide first aid if necessary. No bloodsuckers should spoil either you or your loved ones’ well-deserved rest.

The mosquito (Culicidae) belongs to the class of insects, order Diptera and family of blood-sucking mosquitoes. This insect has lived on the planet for more than 145 million years.

Mosquito - description and photo

The thin body of the insect has a length of 4 to 14 mm, and the transparent wings of the mosquito reach a span of up to 3 cm and are covered with small scales. The wide chest and abdomen consisting of 10 segments are supported by long legs ending in two claws.

The color of a mosquito, in addition to the usual gray or brown color, can be very unusual. There are individuals with orange, yellow, green and red colors. Some members of the family have lush brushes on their wings and legs, and there are even wingless species. The long antennae, consisting of 15 parts, contain olfactory organs and receptors that can work as a temperature sensor. With their help, the mosquito finds its victim.

How long does a mosquito live?

The lifespan of a female mosquito is much longer than that of a male mosquito, which lives only 17-19 days.

Mosquitoes and their larvae are quite a tasty treat for some representatives of the fauna: animals, birds, insects, fish. Amphibians enjoy feeding on mosquitoes: frogs, toads, newts, salamanders. Dragonflies, spiders, bats, water bugs, water mites, chameleons, some beetles, lizards, and small birds (waders, swifts) will not refuse to treat themselves to a mosquito “dish.”

Waterfowl (gulls, geese, terns, marsh waders, phalaropes from the snipe family), in addition to adult individuals, also eagerly eat mosquito larvae (bloodworms). It is quite natural that mosquito larvae in the water include fish in their menu. To regulate and reduce the level of mosquito reproduction, special nurseries breed the amazing fish Gambusia, which cannot imagine its diet without eating mosquito larvae. Quite interestingly, mosquito larvae feed on the larvae of other insects: in the stage of larval development, swimming beetles and dragonflies “hunt” on them. Also, hedgehogs, crustaceans, frogs, toads, water striders, and aquarium fish (such as angelfish, gourami, goldfish, barbs, cichlids) feed on mosquito larvae.

Male and female mosquito - differences

The structure of the oral organ in females and males is not the same. The elongated lips of insects resemble a kind of case in which two pairs of jaws with long and thin teeth, like needles, are hidden. The male mosquito has underdeveloped jaws, so it is not able to gnaw holes in the skin and feed on blood. Thus, only the female mosquito drinks human blood.

The speed of a mosquito reaches 3.2 km/h. Using air currents, mosquitoes can fly up to one hundred kilometers at this speed. The weight of the mosquito is so small that once it hits the web, it does not cause vibrations and does not attract the spider.

Types of mosquitoes

a type of mosquito that is found everywhere, overwhelming humans and animals with its intrusiveness. Adult squeak mosquitoes measure 3-8 mm. Only females are “bloodsuckers”, since they need blood to produce offspring. The male mosquito is an exceptional vegetarian and feeds on plant juices. The squeak can become a carrier of quite serious diseases, spreading viruses of meningitis, infectious eczema, etc.

lives where there is high humidity: shady thickets near shallow bodies of water, swamps, forest thicket with a nearby lake. Often the large centipede (some individuals reach 4-8 cm in length) is mistaken for an analgesic mosquito, which is a mistake. Long-legged mosquitoes do not bite, feed on nectar and plant juices, and are absolutely safe for humans, but they can cause significant damage to farmland and forest plantings. The larvae of the Karamora mosquito are especially voracious - they feed both in water and on land, eagerly eating algae, young seedlings and tender roots of cultivated plants.

A small mosquito found on all continents except icy Antarctica. The main habitats of the biters are shady forests and the tundra zone. A distinctive feature of the biter is the spectacular white stripes on the body and limbs. Females of this mosquito species lay eggs in late autumn along the banks of swamps and other bodies of water, and as soon as the snow melts, numerous biting mosquito larvae begin to develop in the melt water. Adults can be carriers of dangerous diseases.

• Chionei (winter mosquitoes)

Similar at the same time to centipedes or large spiders, winter mosquitoes are strikingly different from them in their way of life. Adults of this type of mosquito are 10-20 mm long and are found almost all year round - in spring, autumn and even in the cold winter months, which is why they got their name. They live in damp caves, settle inside rotten stumps and half-rotten trees, feeding on decomposed plant waste.

This type of mosquito is not a “bloodsucker”, preferring to feed on plant nectar. The female swamp mosquito lays eggs in water, damp moss or damp soil. During the growth period, the meadow grass larva happily eats the remains of algae and plants that have decomposed in the reservoir, although some are also predators in terms of food preferences. Swamp mosquitoes live in flooded meadows and forests with an abundance of moss.

A harmless mosquito that lives only 2-5 days lives in reed thickets of ponds, along the banks of shallow rivers or swamps. Adults most often have a yellowish-green color, less often dark brown, and have long limbs. Huge clouds of bell-bellied mosquitoes hover over the water surface of reservoirs on warm evenings, without causing inconvenience to humans or animals, since they prefer to feed on plant ingredients.

Where do mosquitoes live?

Mosquitoes are most common in hot, humid climates and remain active throughout the year. These insects cannot be found only in the harsh climate of Antarctica.

In regions with a temperate climate, they hibernate during cold weather, awakening with the arrival of warmth. Warm weather comes to the Arctic for several weeks, during which time they multiply to incredible numbers and manage to “drink the blood” of herds of reindeer and the local population.

The leading mosquito in distribution is the common mosquito, which lives wherever its main prey – humans – lives.

What do mosquitoes eat?

Male mosquitoes feed exclusively on nectar or plant sap. Females need protein food to reproduce their offspring. They get it from the blood of mammals, birds or reptiles.

Gnawing a hole in the skin of the victim with sharp jaws, female mosquitoes plunge their proboscis into the blood capillaries and suck out the blood with their lips folded into a tube. Simultaneously with the mosquito bite, saliva is injected, which contains substances that prevent blood from clotting. It is mosquito saliva that causes allergic reactions, manifested in the form of itching, redness of the skin and swelling. Typically, females “go hunting” in the evening and at night.

Mosquito breeding

In their life cycle, mosquitoes go through four stages of development.

• An egg (every 2-3 days a female mosquito lays 30 to 150 eggs in the water), which matures in 2 to 8 days.
• Mosquito larva: lives in a body of water and feeds on microorganisms in it. Breathes air using breathing tubes. During its development it molts four times, after the last one turning into a pupa.
• The development of the pupa also occurs in water and lasts up to 5 days. As it matures, it changes color, becoming black.
• The adult stage is an adult insect living on land.

Males are the first to fly into the light and, huddled in a swarm, wait for females to mate. This type of reproduction is called eurygamy.

Urban mosquitoes have adapted to mate without swarming (stenogamy). The fertilized female mosquito goes for a blood supply, after which she lays eggs and the cycle repeats.

The process of procreation is an important part of the life of any living creature, and insects are no exception. How do mosquitoes reproduce? Probably, few people have thought about this issue, and its subtleties are known only to biology buffs. Although this is quite an interesting process from the point of view of knowledge about the living world, which has its own characteristics and interesting facts.

A brief introduction to insects

Mosquitoes (other “official” names are true or blood-sucking mosquitoes) - from the point of view of biological classification, they are the family Culicidae, assigned to the group of Long-whiskers and the order of Diptera insects, which are characterized by sexual reproduction and complete transformation (metamorphoses from egg to adult: o These will be discussed in detail below).

Adult female mosquitoes drink human blood and are part of the midges - a group of blood-sucking insects, for which they have earned strong dislike from people

Mosquitoes are small flying insects. The length of their thin and soft body ranges from 4 mm to 15 mm. All representatives of the family Culicidae are characterized by the presence of long legs, which end in 2 claws for better grip on surfaces and stability, and narrow transparent wings, consisting of many caps. Their span ranges from 5 mm for the smallest species to 30 mm.

In tropical regions there are real giants: for example, long-legged mosquitoes, or caramors, in favorable conditions they grow up to 10 cm in length, which is a record figure.

Most species of the Mosquito family have a nondescript color: gray, brown, yellow. Much less often (and mainly in southern countries) black or green specimens are found. The thoracic region of insects is wider than the abdomen. The long antennae, necessary for orienting the insect in space, are formed by 15 segments.

The mosquito's mouthparts are a piercing-sucking type. It is hidden in the lower lip of the insect, which is shaped like a tube. Inside it are sharp jaw stilettos, similar to blades. They are needed to cut a microscopic hole in the skin, through which the sucking proboscis then penetrates to the layer of capillaries. Moreover, in females it consists of piercing bristles, which are absent in males.

By the word “mosquito,” people most often mean the squeaky mosquito. It is he who annoys people with his obsessive buzzing and painful bites.

In total, the Mosquito family has 3,000 species, divided into 38 genera. Most of them live in southern countries with a tropical climate. Only 100 species, representing 3 genera, live on the territory of Russia: true mosquitoes, biting mosquitoes and malaria mosquitoes.

Mosquito breeding process

These are bisexual creatures, so a male and a female participate in the reproduction of mosquitoes. Future offspring go through 4 stages of development, which are typical for insects with complete transformation:

• egg;
• chrysalis;
• imago (sexually mature individual).

Moreover, insects are “land” creatures only in the very last stage of mosquito development: all the rest live in bodies of water or in close proximity to them. After all, they need water to develop.

Reproductive system of mosquitoes

Representatives of the family have internal fertilization: after mating, the male’s seed enters the female’s reproductive tract, after which the formation of eggs begins. The reproductive organs of mosquitoes are located inside their abdomen: ovaries in females and testes in males. The microscopic external genitalia of the male have a very complex structure, the features of which are key to distinguishing species that are externally similar to each other. Females have a small ovipositor in the form of a short tube: eggs are born through it.

"Marriage Games"

The type of mosquito mating is called “eurygamy” in biological terms. Its peculiarity is the formation of a swarm - a dense cloud of male insects staying close to each other. Surely everyone has seen such flocks on summer evenings.

Female mosquitoes attract the attention of the opposite sex with a thin buzzing sound similar to a squeak. This sound is created by the movement of the wings. Its frequency depends on the age of the individual, and males, with the help of their sensitive antennae, detect the slightest differences in sound, giving preference to more mature “girlfriends”.

When approaching a cloud of males, the female flies into it and finds herself fertilized by the one who managed to do it first. To complete the job, males have special appendages next to their genitals, with the help of which he holds the female in flight together.

It is noteworthy that mosquito populations living in cities are characterized by stenogamy - reproduction without swarming, the implementation of which is difficult due to the lack of large and free space.

After a short mating, the male flies away from the female and returns to the others. The female goes in search of blood necessary for the continuation of offspring.

Reproductive activity directly depends on the degree of saturation of the female with blood: with sufficient nutrition, she lays eggs every 2–3 days, after which she returns to the swarm of males

Eggs

Each time, females make large clutches containing 30–150 mosquito eggs. The malarial species are the most prolific, producing about 280 pieces. The exact number depends directly on the amount of blood drunk by the female, which explains the aggression of insects towards humans.

Usually the female lays eggs directly on the surface of the water. To do this, she chooses freshwater, calm and stagnant bodies of water with a minimum flow speed. Ponds and quiet backwaters of lakes overgrown with reeds are ideal. Less commonly, the mosquito lays eggs on well-moistened soil along the banks or near temporary reservoirs that dry up in the summer and refill in the spring after the snow melts. Sometimes the female chooses floating objects and plants (this is more typical for the genus of True mosquitoes, to which the famous squeaking mosquito is included).

Larva

Under favorable conditions, after just a few days, larvae enter the water from the lower end of the eggs. They look like small worms covered with hairs. The body color of a mosquito larva depends on the species. For example, in the squeaker they are dirty gray, and in the jerk they are green or red. The latter are used in fishing and aquarium farming, where they are known as bloodworms.

The larva and the pupa that subsequently emerges from it necessarily need a sufficient amount of air. The larvae of some species live at the very bottom of reservoirs, buried in silt or mud, but must rise to the surface every 15 minutes to obtain oxygen. Others can swim for a long time, bending their whole body, on the very surface with the “tail of the body” upward, because this is where the worm’s respiratory organs are located - special tubes through which it breathes.

During its entire development, which lasts an average of 20 days, the larva undergoes 4 molts, after which it turns into a pupa. During them, she sheds her old exoskeleton, which allows her to increase in size each time. For example, immediately after emerging from the egg, the length of the larva does not exceed 1 mm, and after the last molt it can reach 1 cm. At the same time, the volume of the larva’s body increases even more: almost 500 times.

Doll

The mosquito pupa, the penultimate stage of insect development, has a more complex structure of internal organ systems. It also lives in water and periodically floats to the surface, preparing to transform into a flying individual. The waiting time takes approximately 5 days. Gradually it becomes darker in color.

The answer to the question whether a mosquito has a pupa is positive, since it is an insect with a full cycle of transformation.

The behavior and nutrition of the larva and the pupa are almost identical, but the latter has one interesting feature: thanks to its shape and well-developed tail, it can quickly move through the water column with spasmodic movements.

Imago

An adult is an adult insect that lives on land and participates in reproduction. Males live only 3 weeks, while females live 3 months, if the air temperature stays around 10–15 °C. Under unfavorable conditions, life expectancy is reduced.

Reproduction is impossible without saturating the females with human blood. Therefore, mosquitoes are spread over almost all areas of land where humans live. They stay close to settlements so that they can drink the blood of people at any time.

Each species has its own preferences in temperature and lighting conditions. Some people like shady ponds, while others like well-lit ones. Biologists have calculated that the larvae are able to develop when the water temperature is 10–35 °C, but between 25 °C and 30 °C is considered most comfortable.

Mosquitoes rarely lay eggs in large bodies of water where many fish live, because they readily feed on eggs.

The larva will die if the water is contaminated with oil products: they form a film on the surface through which the worms cannot breathe. But some species show enviable adaptation, having adapted to use oxygen dissolved in water for breathing.

The process of how mosquitoes appear has been sufficiently studied by science. These insects are characterized by high fertility and feeding on human blood. Both of these traits are directly dependent on each other.