Mosquito Scientific Name

Mosquitoes belong to the clan Diptera, and suborder Nematocera. The term for the family to which mosquitoes belong, “Culicidae” is derived from Latin, which translates to “gnat”. Today, nearly 110 genera have been identified in the family Culicidae and over 3,600 species have been documented.

Most mosquitoes are two-winged insects no larger than 20 mm in size. From an evolutionary perspective, the earliest mosquito fossils were discovered from the Cretaceous, some 90 to 100 million years ago. These insects are also considered pests as they cause different types of diseases in humans and animals.

Classification of Mosquitoes

The family Culicidae is classified into two subfamilies:

• Anophelinae

• Culicinae

Scientific Names of Select Mosquito Species

• Anopheles gambiae

• Culiseta longiareolata

Facts About Mosquitoes 

• Only female mosquitoes bite humans - It might be surprising to know but it's the fact that only female mosquitoes like to use the human body as their tasty snack. The reason being getting the protein and other nutrients that are essential for the production and development of the egg. 

• Mosquitoes are very old - It is an amazing and unknown fact that mosquitoes are as old as Dinosaurs. The mosquitoes have been biting the clan of humans quite for a long time now. 

• Mosquitoes can learn and remember what their hosts smell like - They can locate you wherever you go to bite you.

• Mosquitoes have a brief span of life - Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about one mosquito becoming the bane of your existence causing itchy bites for eternity as these biting insects have a very short life span. It is estimated that mosquitoes live for not more than 2 months. 

• There are around 3000 species of mosquitoes  around the world

• Mosquitoes love Carbon-dioxide - To be honest they have a bit of an addiction to it. Carbon dioxide is one among the various ways during which mosquitoes locate their next feast. They are known to use a special organ called a maxillary palp that helps them to follow the smell of CO2 released from our breath and attack.