Culicidae

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Common Name

Mosquito Larvae

Scientific Name

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Culicidae

Lab Storage

Feeding

Collector-filterers and -gatherers. Most Culicidae larvae use brushes on their mouths to direct currents with fine particles towards their mouths. A few species are cannibalistic, while others gather detritus from sediments.

Water Quality Tolerance

Somewhat tolerant.

Fact

4-18mm. Note that this specimen does not have the prominent brushes on the sides of its head. They have a capsule-like head that's distinct from the first 3 segments of the thorax which are enlarged and much larger than the abdomen. For more photos, refer to our online gallery: tinyurl.com/rlf5t2j

Habitat

Lentic-littoral and lotic-depositional. Most commonly found in woodland ponds, marshes, swamps, lakes, and temporary habitats such as ditches and puddles. Larvae are usually only found in areas with stagnant water.

References

Voshell & Wright. 2002.