mosquito: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026

News •

Scientists discover why some mosquitoes love you and others don't • Nov. 11, 2026, 6:02 AM ET (Science Daily)

Insect-inspired flying robot bounces back after collisions • Oct. 28, 2026, 7:40 AM ET (Tech Xplore)

Facts

Also Known As	Culicidae

Photos and Videos

Close-up of an Aedes aegypti mosquito with black and white striped legs, feeding on human skin against a blurred green background.

Diagram showing diversity among dipterans

Mosquito larvae

Anopheles mosquito: malaria vector

A Culex pipiens mosquito feeds on human skin, its proboscis inserted as it draws blood.

Close-up view of an Anopheles mosquito showing its large, green compound eye, segmented antennae, and fine hairs on its head and body.

The video thumbnail shows a black and white image of a mosquito biting a human arm. The area it is biting is highlighted in pink.

How did mosquitoes inspire advanced vision systems?

Examine one effort to develop new mosquito repellents with natural compounds

Know about zoonosis disease and how it spreads from animals to humans

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Culex Aedes Anopheles What Purposes Do Mosquitoes Serve in Ecosystems?Why do mosquitoes drink blood?Why are mosquitoes attracted to certain people?Aedes scutellaris Aedes aegypti Anopheles maculipennis Anopheles gambiae gall midge black fly midge crane fly biting midge moth fly sand fly March fly phantom midge Fruit fly

Key People

Walter Reed

Walter Reed

American pathologist and bacteriologist

Sir Ronald Ross, bronze relief by Frank Bowcher, 1929; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

Sir Ronald Ross

British doctor

Carlos J. Finlay

Carlos J. Finlay

Cuban physician

Lancisi, miniature by an unknown artist

Giovanni Maria Lancisi

Italian physician

Agramonte y Simoni, Aristides

Aristides Agramonte y Simoni

Cuban-born physician, pathologist, and bacteriologist

Manson, detail of an oil painting by J. Young Hunter, 1912; in the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London

Sir Patrick Manson

Scottish parasitologist

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Jesse William Lazear

American physician

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Marston Bates

American zoologist

wasp. Vespid Wasp (Vespidaea) with antennas and compound eyes drink nectar from a cherry. Hornets largest eusocial wasps, stinging insect in the order Hymenoptera, related to bees. Pollination

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