Question

Mouthparts of mosquitoes are
A. Sucking and piercing type
B. Sponging type
C. Biting and chewing type
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Mosquitoes are insects that primarily rely on liquid food for their survival and their lifecycle. The food source for mosquitoes is different depending on the lifecycle. Male mosquitoes feed on plant juices, while female mosquitoes feed on human blood.

Complete answer: The piercing and sucking mouthparts are the unusual features of the mosquito because, in the case of female mosquitoes, they are ideal for piercing the tissues of animals or plants to suck blood or plant juice in the case of male mosquitoes. The labium, labrum-epipharynx, hypopharynx, mandibles and maxillae are the components of the mouth. Both males as well as female Anopheles mosquitoes feed on liquid food and rely on solid food.

They consist of the epipharynx, maxillae, labium and hypopharynx of the labrum; the mandibles are totally absent. In fact, the labium, i.e. lower lip is well-formed and modified in this type of mouth to form a long, fleshy and retractile proboscis. Labrum and mandibles are mouth components that are involved in biting and chewing. But the jaws are blunt, not toothed. The cone of the mouth is composed of labrum, labium and maxilla. Two maxillas and the left mandible are derived from three styles.
So, choice A is the correct answer.

Note: Female mosquitoes feed on the blood because they are at the larval stage, therefore, they require blood to obtain proteins that help in their development. Female Anopheles mosquitoes carry Plasmodium that causes malaria which is a deadly disease. They act as vectors.