Summer is here, have you already started another round of battle of wits with mosquitoes? However, even though they have experienced hundreds of battles, few of them "know" our enemies. It is said that if you know yourself and your enemy, you will be victorious in any battle. Today, the science corner will help you understand it.
To understand the types of mosquitoes, we first need to know, What a mosquito is.
Let scientists say that mosquitoes are insects of the order Diptera Longhorned suborder . Translated into ordinary Chinese, they are insects that appear to have only one pair of wings and whose antennae are longer than the head and chest combined. According to the biological classification ", kingdom, order, family, genus, species ", order is a very large division. So far, a total of 
subfamilies, 35 genera, more than 3600 species and subspecies of mosquitoes have been recorded around the world. The mosquitoes we know and hate are actually just a very small branch of this huge suborder Longhorned.
The main force in the battle - mosquitoes
The mosquitoes we usually fight are basically them. They are actually just some blood-sucking species of Culicidae insects. Common ones include Aedes, Anopheles and House Mosquito. (Members of each genus correspond to what we often call Aedes , Anopheles, and Culex ). About them , here is some brief introduction. These mosquitoes not only bite people and suck blood, they are also the intermediate hosts of pathogens such as dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, filariasis, and Japanese encephalitis, which are really harmful to people. Of course, biting mosquitoes is far from simple. Many insects from the family Culicidae are involved in this "evil" activity. For example, the gorgeous
evil mosquito is also one of them:
The males of this type of mosquito feed on plant juices. , females feed on blood. Male and female mosquitoes can be distinguished based on their antennae: the bristles on the female mosquito's antennae are sparse, while the male mosquito's antennae are as fine as test tube brushes. This pair of antennae helps to find the location of the female mosquito.
Harmless to humans and animals Large mosquito
Of all mosquitoes, the most misunderstood is the large mosquito. Mosquitoes are the collective name for insects of the Superfamily Macridae. They are relatively primitive species of the order Diptera, and their body length is generally more than 1 cm. Because of its huge size, it often causes people to panic. But in fact, this is really an injustice. The adult mosquito only has a lifespan of about ten days. It does not eat and only absorbs some water to live. After mating and reproduction, it completes its mission in life.
Mosquito larvae live in plant roots, tree holes with moist soil, or water. They feed on plant roots and humus. They are natural decomposers and food for many animals. Only a few species of larvae cause certain harm to agricultural production and urban green lawns by feeding on plant roots.
The life of a giant mosquito has nothing to do with sucking human blood. However, if a mosquito as big as a giant mosquito can suck blood, it is indeed a terrible thing.
"Bloodthirsty" - Giant Mosquito
Although equally huge, Giant Mosquito is not a giant mosquito. It is a close relative of the biting mosquito and belongs to the family Culicidae, but its size is not the same order of magnitude at all. Some species can reach 3 cm in length. Putting the horror aside, their metallic luster is actually quite nice.
The larvae of giant mosquitoes live in tree holes and standing water in bamboo tubes. They eat special food - larvae. The larvae of giant mosquitoes are out-and-out foodies. According to experimental observations, the larvae of ornate giant mosquito preyed on 106 larvae before pupating. In addition to eating different species, they also kill each other. Usually only 1-2 giant mosquitoes can mature in the place where they are born, and a particularly large tree hole can accommodate a few more. In the animal world, competition for houses and resources is also abnormal. intense. Even though they look so edible, they are also very hungry. The last instar larvae of the giant mosquito can survive for more than 6 months without food.
Fortunately, although giant mosquito larvae are bloodthirsty, their adults have little interest in real blood. They feed on nectar and are often found in bamboo forests.There are only 7 named species of giant mosquitoes in my country, mainly distributed in South China..
Non-biting Chironomidae
Regardless of size or shape, adult chironomids are very similar to common mosquitoes. It's just that their mouthparts have degenerated and they can't bite people and suck blood. And if you observe carefully, you will find that its antennae are densely covered with fine hairs, its body has no scales (as found in Culicidae), and its front legs are stretched out and shaking continuously when it is stationary - this is where the name "chironomid" comes from.
But even more noticeable are the larvae of chironomid midges, as they occasionally appear in water pipes. The common chironomid larvae is blood-colored due to the heme contained in its body, and is also known as " bloodworm ". Chironomid pollution is indeed a thorny problem, because even after multiple treatments at the water plant, chironomid larvae are basically eliminated, but only a very small number of residual chironomid eggs enter the secondary water supply system, and the secondary water supply If the system design is unreasonable, it may bring new growth conditions to the remaining chironomid eggs. This is also the main reason why chironomid larvae appear in the water supply system.
Of course, the strong reproductive capacity of chironomid midges is not bad news. Chironomid larvae that reproduce in large numbers in natural water bodies are not only an indispensable part of the food chain, but also natural bait for economic aquatic animals.
Fierce vampires - midges and gnats
Midges (left) and gnats (right) sucking blood
Midges and gnats seem to have nothing to do with mosquitoes in terms of their names. They belong to the family Mididae and under the superfamily Chironomidae. They are members of the Gnatidae family, but they are not as friendly as their relatives, the chironomid midges.
Midges and gnats are both very small. Midges are commonly known as small black mosquitoes, and gnats are commonly known as small black flies. They are really a pair of little blood-sucking friends. In summer, when the light is not strong and there are many plants, bare skin can easily attract them. Midges and gnats also like to fly in swarms around people's heads, which is very annoying. Being bitten by midges and gnats will feel more itchy and unbearable than mosquito bites, and may even cause dermatitis , which will take at least several days to recover. Midges can spread a variety of diseases, so when you go out, it is best to bring mosquito repellent containing DEET .
Vegetarian's Eye mushroom
Eye mushroom is the younger brother of mosquitoes, with a body length of only 2-4 mm. But when it comes to their ability to cause harm, that's no mean feat. They often swarm in large numbers and harm edible fungi or vegetables. As long as the adults of the ocular mushroom fly into the mushroom house, they will mate and lay eggs on the culture medium, and quickly build a big family. If the environment is suitable, eye mushroom mosquitoes can complete one generation in one day, and their offspring will mate and reproduce rapidly, feeding on large amounts of mycelium and culture media of edible fungi, causing headaches for mushroom farmers. Moreover, maybe you have also experienced .
Mosquito-like but not mosquito-like mosquito scorpion flies
If you don’t look carefully, there are many insects that look like mosquitoes. For example, in jungles with good environment, you can see an insect called a scorpion fly. At first glance, it looks very similar to a large mosquito, but its two pairs of wings and body structure without a balance rod give away its identity.
Mosquitoes, scorpions, and scorpions are insects of the order of the class Insecta of the order Mecoptera, and live in humid forests. They are carnivorous insects. leafhoppers , fruit flies , spiders, etc. are their prey. Large mosquitoes are also on their menu, and they will even kill each other when food is scarce.
In the long process of evolution, the mosquito family has each developed its own way of adapting to the environment. Blood-sucking mosquitoes are only a small part of them. Although their behavior is abominable, it is also their survival strategy. It is understandable that people want blood-sucking mosquitoes to disappear, but this is just a beautiful wish for now. It is difficult to assess the impact that wiping out all mosquitoes would have on the world before this actually happens. In the early Jurassic, mosquitoes appeared many years earlier than humans. Today, mosquitoes still coexist with us on the same planet, and the fight against mosquitoes will continue.
