Mosquitoes

Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae

While primarily a nuisance, mosquitoes represent a serious public health threat because of their ability to transmit life-threatening diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika virus and West Nile virus. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than one million deaths a year that can be attributed to the diseases caused by mosquitoes, which makes them the deadliest animal on the planet. Mosquitoes are slender, long-legged insects that measure 1/8 – 1/4-inches long. Their hind wings are shrunken and modified into small, knobbed structures called halters, which function as stabilizers during flight. Mosquitoes have scales or hairs on their wings, legs and other body parts. Their mouthparts consist of a pair of palpi (sensory organs) and a long proboscis that females use to pierce skin and suck blood.