Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The mosquito life cycle consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Eggs are laid on the water surface; they hatch into motile larvae that feed on aquatic algae and organic material. These larvae are important food sources for many freshwater animals, such as dragonfly nymphs, many fish, and some birds.
Mosquito eggs can lie dormant for years. The insect survives below freezing temperatures because of two phases. Water is replaced by glycerol, acting as an antifreeze protecting the insect from bursting when frozen, and a supercooling process that lowers the body temperature below freezing, while the body fluids do not solidify. [6]
The eggs are quite small (about 0.5 millimetres (0.02 in) × 0.2 millimetres (0.008 in)). Eggs are laid singly and directly on water. They are unique in that they have floats on either side. Eggs are not resistant to drying and hatch within 2–3 days, although hatching may take up to 2–3 weeks in colder climates. [16]
The first insects were landbound, but about 400 million years ago in the Devonian period one lineage of insects evolved flight, the first animals to do so. [1] The oldest insect fossil has been proposed to be Rhyniognatha hirsti , estimated to be 400 million years old, but the insect identity of the fossil has been contested. [ 3 ]
The larvae of some organisms (for example, some newts) can become pubescent and do not develop further into the adult form. This is a type of neoteny. [5] It is a misunderstanding that the larval form always reflects the group's evolutionary history. This could be the case, but often the larval stage has evolved secondarily, as in insects.
The factory imports dried mosquito eggs from different parts of the world to ensure the specially bred mosquitoes it eventually releases will have similar qualities to local populations, including ...
Aedes taeniorhynchus, or the black salt marsh mosquito, is a mosquito in the family Culicidae. It is a carrier for encephalitic viruses including Venezuelan equine encephalitis [ 3 ] and can transmit Dirofilaria immitis . [ 4 ]
Discover the latest breaking news in the U.S. and around the world — politics, weather, entertainment, lifestyle, finance, sports and much more.