VPA 221: Veterinary Entomology and Acarology (1+1)

MOSQUITOES - LARVA

• Mosquitoes - Larva is called as “wrigglers”
• Four larval stages in the life cycle
• Larvae feed on algae and other organic matter available in the water 
• Body has head, thorax and abdomen
• Head bears simple eyes, antennae and hairs. The mouth parts are mastigatory and are surrounded by brushes called the feeding brushes.  These produce currents in the water in order to draw the food particles to the mouth openings
• Thorax is unsegmented and bears hairs
• Abdomen has 10 segments. Tufts of hair are seen on the lateral aspect of all segments with the help of which the larvae stay afloat
• Stigmal opening is located at the junction of the 8^th and 9^th abdominal segments.  The opening is called Respiratory fossa in Anophelines while in the Culicines it is covered by a tube called the Siphon tube
• On the ventral aspect of the siphon tube is a row of spines called the Pecten
• The 8^th abdominal segement in certain species reveals the presence of spines called combs
• The 10^th segment usually bears tufts of hairs – the dorsal and ventral caudal brushes and the tracheal gills