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Plants

ECO-POSTCARDS

~Life Cycle of an Anopheles Mosquito~

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Photograph by C. Roxanne Connelly, University of Florida 

  • The female mosquito lays her eggs either near or directly on the surface of water one at a time. However, Anopheles mosquitos will lay their eggs directly on the water. Once the egg is exposed to water, it hatches, normally within the first 48 hours ("Life Cycle").

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Photograph by James M. Newman, University of FLorida 

  • The pupa also referred to as “tumbler” continues to live in the water such as the egg and larva stage does, but they no longer feed ("Mosquito Life Cycle"). The mosquitos are mobile even though they are not feeding, due to their response to light changes. This stage is the stage just before it emerged as an adult ("Life Cycle").

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Photograph by James M. Newman, University of Florida 

  • Once the eggs hatch, the larva then emerges. However, it is important to note that the length of time the egg takes to hatch is dependent upon the temperature of the water, the food available and the type of mosquito. The larvae will molt their skin a total of four times as they continue to grow larger after each time. The larva lives in the water as it feeds and develops into the next stage of life. It is important to note that Anopheles lie parallel to the water surface ("Life Cycle").

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Photograph by Sean McCann, University of Florida

  • After two days to a week of being in the pupal stage, the adult mosquito arises. After their body parts have completely hardened, the adult mosquito begins to fly after emerging onto the water’s surface. Although, the adults are active, feeding as well as mating does not occur for a couple days ("Life Cycle").

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