Diptera100 species

Family Mosquitoes (Culicidae)

Culicidae is a family in the order Diptera. Browse 100 named species recorded in this family, or open an individual profile for its available identification and natural-history information.

Species in Culicidae (100)

Yellow Fever Mosquito

Aedes aegypti

Identification: Medium-sized blackish mosquito easily recognized by a silvery-white "lyre-shaped" pattern of scales on its scutum. Segments 1 to 4 of the hind tarsi possess broad basal white rings, segment 5 is white. The coloration of both sexes is

Asian Tiger Mosquito

Aedes albopictus

Identification: recognized by bold black shiny scales and distinct silver white scales on the palpus and tarsi. The scutum is black with a distinctive white stripe down the center beginning at the dorsal surface of the head and continuing along the t

Asian Rock Pool Mosquito

Aedes japonicus

Identification: Larvae: The head is dark colored and the abdomen is creamy colored. Adult Female: The pattern on the scutum is distinctive. There are 5 golden striped scales and the lateral scales are pale and white in a lyre shape. There are also br

Inland Floodwater Mosquito

Aedes vexans

Identification: Larvae: - Antennae are shorter than head - Short siphon with a tuft half as long as the diameter of the base, between pecten teeth - Saddle on anal segment incomplete Adult Female: - Unbanded proboscis - Scutum with short brown scales

Anopheles crucians

Identification: white rings around palps (proboscis dark); apical white spot on wings - FMEL Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory - FMEL

African Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles gambiae

Primary vector of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the most medically important insect species worldwide.

Anopheles pseudopunctipennis

Identification: palpomeres 2‒5 with pale apical bands ‒Jonathan F. Day.

Anopheles punctipennis

Identification: Adult Female: wing pattern is all you need for identification. Very distinctive wings with predominantly dark scales and cream colored scales in the costal and subcostal areas. Larva: head hairs 5, 6, 7 are long, multibranched and plu

North American Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles quadrimaculatus

Identification: Larva: - Siphon absent - Head hairs 8 and 9 are usually with 8 to 10 branches - Lateral setae on the 4th, 5th, and 6th segments are not plumose - Four distinct dark spots on the wings Adult Female: - Proboscis dark scaled - Scutum is

Anopheles walkeri

Identification: Larva: Head hairs 5,6, and 7 are long multibranched and plumose. The lateral setae on the abdominal segments IV-VI are not plumose. Adult Female: Proboscis dark scaled and palpi have pale apical rings. Scutum is dark brown with golden

Coquillettidia perturbans

Identification: Banded legs and wide pale band around base of proboscis - FMEL Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory - FMEL Larvae: - Distal end of siphon with sharp tooth - Head wider than long - Complete saddle Adult Female: - Proboscis dark scaled

Culex coronator

Identification: One of a few Culex with banded legs. In the original description Dyar and Knab wrote, "This is a most inoffensive mosquito. Although breeding in myriads in all roadside puddles it seems not to bite and does not enter houses."

Southern House Mosquito

Culex quinquefasciatus

Identification: The distinguishing features of the Culex mosquitoes are: cross veins on narrow wings, blunt abdomen, short palpus, and no prespiracular or postspiracular setae (CDC 2005). Female: Medium-sized mosquito of brownish appearance; probosci

White-dotted Mosquito

Culex restuans

Identification: - scutum copper-colored, sometimes with 2 pale spots (as seen here) - thorax sides have patches of pale scales - abdomen has white basal bands, legs dark Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory Larva: Siphon with three or more long, sin

Culex salinarius

Identification: - reddish mosquito - FMEL - pale-tipped abdomen - FMEL Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory - FMEL

Banded Foul Water Mosquito

Culex stigmatosoma

Identification: Scutum with middorsal acrostichal setae, hindtarsomeres with distinct apical and basal bands of pale scales, proboscis with complete distinct ring of pale scales, anterior of forefemur and tibia without pale striping, oval-shaped dark

Western Encephalitis Mosquito

Culex tarsalis

Identification: < note banded hind legs and proboscis Adult Female: Scutum with middorsal acrostichal setae, hindtarsomeres with distinct apical and basal bands of pale scales, proboscis with complete distinct ring of pale scales, anterior of forefem

Culex territans

Identification: Adult female: Scutum with middorsal acrostichal setae, occiput with narrow apressed scales, Abdominal tergites II-VII with apical bands or patches of whitish scales, extending basally across 1/2 of tergum on lateral sides of terga IV-

Culiseta incidens

Identification: Adult female: Large mosquito, proboscis usually with slight downward curve, proboscis and palps mostly dark-scaled, bare hypostigmal area, tarsomeres 2+3 with indistinct narrow rings of pale scales apically and basally, extensive wing

Culiseta inornata

Identification: Larvae: - antennal seta 1-A multiple, attached near the middle of the shaft - head hairs 5 and 6 multibranched - comb scale rounded apically - siphon with an even row of single setae attached distally to pecten teeth - saddle complete

Culiseta melanura

Identification: Larva: - antennal seta 1-A multibranched and extends beyond tip of the shaft - head hair 5 multiple, smooth and head hair 6 single - siphon six to seven times as long as wide as it is at the base - anal saddle complete Adult: - probos

Culiseta particeps

Identification: Tarsal banding more broad than Culiseta incidens (comments by Liam Wolff)

Mansonia titillans

Identification: Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory The females are troublesome out-of-doors biters and are known to fly several miles from marshes, ponds, and lakes where their immature stages occur. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus recovered

Ochlerotatus atropalpus

Identification: Larva: The antennae are half as long as the head, antennal setae 1-A double or triple and head hairs 5 and 6 are single. Siphon with only one pair of setae and siphonal setae are inserted wihin pecten teeth. Saddle incomplere and redu

Ochlerotatus campestris

Identification: predominantly yellow and brown with indistinct pale basal and apical tarsal bands Adult Female: proboscis and palps black-scaled, pale scales intermixed basally; scutum blonde with a broad brownish median stripe and lateral stripes, n

Ochlerotatus canadensis

Identification: Larvae: - Antennae half as long as head - Antennal seta 1-A with four or more branches. - lateral setae on abdominal segments 1 and 2 are double - Siphon with one pair of setae - Incomplete saddle Adult Female: - Proboscis dark scaled

Brown Saltmarsh Mosquito

Ochlerotatus cantator

Identification: Adult Female: - Dark scaled proboscis - Scutum is pretty plain with golden brown scales - Usually the last two tergites of the abdomen are pale scaled - Hind tarsomeres have narrow pale basal bands Adults don't travel far from salt wa

Ochlerotatus communis

Identification: Larvae: - Antenna shorter than head with coarse spinules - Antennal seta 1-A with four or more branches - Mesothoracis seta 1-M much shorter than antenna - Comb scale fringed apically with 4 to 7 subequal spinules Adult Female: - Side

Ochlerotatus excrucians

Identification: Adult: proboscis unbanded; each hind tarsomere with broad pale basal band; abdomen black with narrow pale basal band on each segment; wings with intermixed pale scales; northern individuals are larger and darker than southern ones ( s

Ochlerotatus fitchii

Identification: The proboscis is unbanded with mivxed dark brown and yellow sclaes. Scutum has a broad reddish brown strip in the middle and yellowish scales laterally. Also has pale basal bands on the hind tarsomeres. *To differenciate between Oc. e

Ochlerotatus hendersoni

Identification: Larva: - Antennae half as long as head - Antennal seta 1-A single, 5 single, 6 with three or four branches - Comb scales in an irregular or single row - Siphon with one pair of seta, siphonal tuft with three branches - Incomplete sadd

Ochlerotatus infirmatus

Identification: Adult female: Integument of thorax dark brown, broad antero-medial stripe of silvery-white or pale yellow scales extending to middle or a little beyond, much broader than lateral dark scaled areas. Postspiracular setae present, tarsi,

Ochlerotatus provocans

Identification: Larva: - antennae shorter than head, antennal seta 1-A multibranched - head hair 5 double or triple, head hair 6 usually single - siphon with more than four times the length of subapical spines - saddle incomplete, nearly touching ven

Eastern Saltmarsh Mosquito

Ochlerotatus sollicitans

Identification: - pale band across middle of proboscis - FMEL - sides of thorax covered with many white scales - FMEL - legs banded - FEML Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory - FMEL (adult female) Proboscis is dark-scaled and with white band near m

Black Saltmarsh Mosquito

Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus

Identification: Adult: Dark overall. Proboscis with distinct white ring at middle. Palps white-tipped. Wing scales dark. Abdominal terga with transverse basal pale bands, lacking median longitudinal stripe. Hind tarsomeres with pale rings basally. La

Ochlerotatus thibaulti

Identification: Larvae: - Antenna as long as head - Antennal seta 1-A multibranched - Mesothoracic setae 1-M single and shorter than antennae - Siphon with only one pair of setae - Incomplete saddle Adult Female: - Dark scaled proboscis - Scutum with

Ochlerotatus togoi

Identification: Males have the palps only 3/4 as long as proboscis. Scutum with lyre-shaped pattern of golden scales. Introduced from Japan, likely after the 2nd World War. The taxonomy is uncertain. Darsie and Ward place it in Ochlerotatus , Reinert

Eastern Treehole Mosquito

Ochlerotatus triseriatus

Identification: - top of scutum dark - FMEL - patch of white scales along edge of scutum; legs dark - FMEL Florida Medical Entomology Lab - FMEL Adult Female: - Legs, wings and proboscis are completely darkscaled - The abdomen is mainly dark scaled w

Ochlerotatus trivittatus

Identification: "The striping pattern on the scutum is the key -- central dark stripe, yellowish stripes on either side, then dark outermost stripes" - from Mark Fox's comments on this image: From Carpenter & LaCasse, 1955: Persistent, painful biters

Orthopodomyia signifera

Identification: Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory ( 3 ) Adult: Integument dark brown, proboscis dark scaled with row of white scales along dorsolateral edge. Ocular margin delineated with narrow line of white scales. Narrow submedian lines of whi

Gallinipper

Psorophora ciliata

Identification: Florida Medical Entomology Lab - FMEL Adult: Very large mosquito, integument yellowish-brown, apices of tibiae and femora and some tarsomeres with broad, erect, black scales. Scutum with median stripe of golden-yellow scales, submedia

Dark Ricefield Mosquito

Psorophora columbiae

Identification: large dark mosquito - FMEL - banded abdomen and legs - FMEL - base of proboscis has wide pale band - FMEL Florida Medical Entomology Lab - FMEL Adult: Medium-sized, dark brown or dull black in color. Proboscis dark on apical quarter,

Psorophora ferox

Identification: Larvae: Head rounded anteriorly, long antennae. Head hairs 5 and 6 long and usually double. Adult Female: The legs have purple irridescent scales and tarsal segments 4 and 5 are entirely pale scaled.

Psorophora horrida

Identification: Pale 4th and 5th tarsal segments, scutum with a black median band and pale bordering scales with pale spots on kneecaps.

Psorophora howardii

Identification: Adult female: Wings entirely dark scaled, femora without subapical pale bands, apices of hindfemora and tibiae with long erect scales, tibiae otherwise with recumbent yellow and purple scales, tarsi primarily dark-scaled with purplish

Psorophora mathesoni

Identification: Scutum with broad median stripe of darker scales, with pale scales laterally; patterning of hind tarsi distinctive in se.US

Psorophora varipes

Identification: 4th tarsal segment pale but 5th tarsal segment dark. Scutum with dark median band and light scales on the sides. Also has pale kneecaps like horrida .

Toxorhynchites moctezuma

Identification: Lateral stripes of thorax blue. Fore tarsi with less white than typical T. rutilus . Specifically, the male lacks white bands on the fore tarsi and the female lacks white on the fourth tarsomere of the fore leg. Some southern T. ru

Elephant Mosquito

Toxorhynchites rutilus

Identification: Female and male Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory - FMEL Very large, for a mosquito. Body is covered with shiny metallic blue scales. Proboscis prominent and curved upwards. Attracted to flowers. Predatory mosquitoes in the genus

Uranotaenia lowii

Identification: adorned with iridescent blue scales adults not know to bite man

Uranotaenia sapphirina

Identification: Adult: tiny size; abdomen blunt; proboscis widens distally; scutum and scutellum with median stripe of iridescent blue scales; similar lines of iridescent bluish scales on lateral margin of scutum, anterior pronotal lobe, and mid-part

Southern Pitcher-Plant Mosquito

Wyeomyia haynei

Some authorities consider this species to be conspecific with W. smithii

Wyeomyia mitchellii

Identification: Adult: wings, legs, proboscis, and palps dark; palps very short; hindlegs held high over body and curving forward over head as though mimicking antennae; abdomen dark above, light below, with sharp dividing line along the side; tarsi