Anopheles spp. (Larva & adult characters)

​Identifying characters are as follows:

• Larvae rest parallel to the water surface.​
• The head is well-developed with mouth brushes for feeding and often has elongate shape.
• Absence of a respiratory siphon; larvae breathe through spiracles located on the eighth abdominal segment.​
• The thorax is large, elliptical, and usually wider than the head.​
• Palmate (leaf-like) hairs are present on the abdominal segments, aiding in buoyancy and identification.​
• Larvae are frequently found in clean, unpolluted water, including marshes, rice fields, and rain pools.​
• Movement is jerky or propelled by mouth brushes, and larvae may dive below the surface when disturbed.

             Hence, the specimen seems to be larval stage of Anopheles mosquito.

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• Soft bodied, slender, covered with small scales except the abdominal sterna.
• Females have less bushy antenna than in males.
• Proboscis in a straight line with the body.
• Maxillary palps & proboscis of equal size in both the sexes.
• Discretely spotted wings. 
• Scutellum crescentic & with bristles along the posterior border.
• The body is at 45 degree angle with the surface at rest.
• Body size of female is generally larger; distinctive resting posture where proboscis, head, thorax, and abdomen are aligned at an angle to the surface but males are slightly smaller; similar posture but usually found swarming for mating purposes.
• Straight resting posture with the abdomen lifted from the surface.
• Mouth parts of females are sharp adapted for blood feeding.

Hence, the specimen seems to be an adult stage of male and female Anopheles mosquito.

Systematic position: (Ruppert & Barnes 1994)

Kingdom: Animalia

   Sub Phylum: Uniramia

     Class:Insecta

          Order:Diptera

                  Genus: Anopheles

Medical significance:

Mosquito create annoyance & painful reactions during bites. Chiefly they are

important as the intermediate hosts or vectors or carriers of many parasitic &

viral diseases of man & domestic animals. Anopheles spp. females transmit Malaria. When a bite is inflicted, Plasmodium parasites are introduced into the human bloodstream, resulting in malaria infections and significant disease burden in many tropical regions. The prevention of malaria is achieved by controlling populations of Anopheles mosquitoes and using protective measures