|
Mosquito Information and Definitions of Mosquito Terms
Do you know the mosquito? To help your become more familiar with the flying pest, we have listed below some definitions of popular mosquito-related terms.
Abdomen - Part of the body that contains the digestive and reproductive organs.
Adult - The fully developed mature form.
Antenna - Sensory organ on the head for hearing and smell.
aquatic - Living in water.
carbon dioxide - Chemical compound that all animals exhale.
Container (natural) - Specialized floodwater habitat used by some mosquitoes. A treehole is primary example.
Container (man-made) - Specialized floodwater habitat used by some mosquitoes. Buckets, cans, and discarded tires are examples
DEET - The chemical compound found in most mosquito repellents.
Diptera - Order of insects that has only two wings (one pair). Most other insect Orders have four wings (two pairs).
Disease - Ill health as a result of being infected with a pathogen.
Egg - The first stage in the life cycle.
Embryo - The developmental stage found inside the egg.
Encephalitis - The results of a virus attacking the brain of humans
Eyes - Visual organs on the head, composed of numerous separate lenses.
Floodwater - Aquatic habitat characterized by fluctuating water levels.
Food canal - Tube within the stylets that conducts blood from the skin to the mosquito’s stomach
Head - Part of the body that contains the eyes and mouth.
Host - The animal from which the mosquito takes a blood meal.
Larva - The immature, wingless form that hatches from an egg. Its purpose is to eat and grow.
Metamorphosis - The maturing process that involves changes in shape between hatching and becoming an adult.
Molt - To shed the skin in order to grow.
Pathogen - Any microorganism or virus that can cause disease.
Proboscis - Elongated mouth of the mosquito, adapted for feeding on liquid.
Pupa - The non-feeding stage in the life cycle during which the larva changes to the adult form.
Raft - Cluster of eggs laid on the surface of permanent water.
Repellent - A chemical capable of preventing mosquitoes from feeding on a host.
Reproduction - The making of offspring.
Saliva - Secretion injected into the skin when the mosquito bites. Contains anesthetics and nticoagulants to make blood feeding easier.
Salivary canal - Tube within the stylets that conducts the saliva from the salivary gland into the skin.
Siphon - Tube used by the larva to breathe air.
Species - A unique group of animals, different from other groups.
Stylets - Thin, sharp structures that penetrate the skin; part of the proboscis.
Thorax - Part of the body that contains the legs and wings.
Transmission cycle - The system in which a mosquito-transmitted pathogen is maintained. It consists of the pathogen, the mosquito, and the hosts that become infected.
Trumpet - Tube used by the pupa to breathe air.
Tumbler - Common name for the mosquito pupa.
Vector - Animal, like a mosquito, that transmits a virus or parasite to another animal.
Wriggler - Common name for the mosquito larva.
| 
