Mosquitoes
Family Culicidae

Characteristics:
* Wings long and narrow, with scales along the veins.
* Bodies also very thin.
* Females bite, but males do not; the female proboscis has 6 piercing parts.
* Body length: To 3/4".

Natural History:
* Habitat: Near water; salt marshes, wet woods. Abundant after rainfall.
* Range: Throughout the world.
* Behavior: Larvae develop in pools and puddles and are preyed upon by mallards. The female feeds on the blood of humans and other animals. She bites by piercing skin with her proboscis, inserting saliva which contains a blood-diluting chemical, and sucking blood.

Connections!
* Mosquito bites are painful, but the insects can inflict deadly harm with their bites. They carry and very effectively spread malaria, yellow fever, and encephalitis, as well as other diseases. 200 to 300 million people die every year from diseases associated with and carried by mosquitoes.

* This tiny insect has eliminated human populations, wreaked indescribable havoc, and caused movements of men to break into unexplored regions of the world and develop new medical technologies. And it is EVERYWHERE! Mosquitoes have been found in tropical jungles and arctic tundra, at 14,000 feet above sea level in Kashmir and under 4,000 feet of water in African gold mines.