According to the estimates of zoologists, more than 3 thousand species of mosquitoes live on planet Earth, only within Russia there are 100 species of these annoying, and in most cases, blood-sucking insects. But among all the diversity, many representatives are harmless to humans and the environment, and we, turning to reference books and encyclopedias, comparing photos and descriptions, decided to find out what is the largest mosquito in the world.
Caterpillar mosquitoes / Tipulidae
The largest representatives of the mosquito family are also called karamors, and they live in moist forests near fresh water bodies and swamps.
You can meet such a mosquito with long legs on all continents of the planet, and, despite their size, they are completely harmless.
The length of the body varies from 2 to 60 mm, but some inhabitants of the tropics grow to 11 cm. So when asked what is the largest mosquito caddis flies, feel free to answer the caramor.
Types of mosquitoes
The world fauna has more than 4,200 species of mosquito-centipedes, and for comparison we consider the largest representatives.
Holorusia mikado
Caught in the Chinese province of Sichuan, a huge mosquito of the species Holorusia Mikado from the family Longleaf is considered to be the largest mosquito in the world today.
The wingspan of this giant of the mosquito world is 11.5 cm, but scientists are still silent, which caused this growth. Entomologist Zhao Li spent a lot of time studying this unique specimen.
The species was first discovered and investigated in 1876. Despite its size, a giant mosquito of this species is harmless and flies very poorly.
Cranny festive / Ctenophora festiva
Due to the characteristic coloring of this mosquito from the family Dolphinaceae, the ctenophore is also called decorated, and they grow from 2 to 2.65 cm.
The body color is grayish-brown with yellow alternating stripes, which makes the mosquito similar to a wasp. They live throughout Europe, in Russia, and in Ukraine, the species is listed in the Red Book.
It is considered endangered, and the main reason is the deforestation of old forests, which are the natural habitat of the festive Trifle.
Harmful Centipede / Tipula paludosa
The species name itself already indicates that the mosquito is a pest of agricultural land.
The size of an adult with incredibly long legs reaches from 2 to 2.4 cm, and the mass of the mosquito does not exceed one gram. Settled in North America, in Eurasia. It can be found in any region of Russia and in the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Great damage is caused to flax crops, but can also be harmful to other crops - potatoes, corn, barley.
Other types of mosquitoes
From centipedes, which are rightfully considered champions in size, we turn to the consideration of other species of a diverse mosquito world.
Mosquito Dergun / Chironomus
A fairly large species of mosquitoes with long legs belongs to a huge family of chironomids from the diptera squad.
They fly in large groups, creating a characteristic rumble in the air, and interestingly, this buzzing mosquito swarm consists mainly of males. Received its name due to the fact that sitting on the surface, twitches its paws.
In Russia, they were also called by zvonets by squeak, and in the reference books on entomology such a name was also fixed. It is completely harmless to humans, since it can not bite, but it itself serves as excellent food for fish.
Tropical mosquitoes
As such, the name “tropical mosquitoes” is not in scientific use, but we call so many representatives of the mosquito world that live in the tropical latitudes of the globe.
Yellow fever bite / Aedes aegypti
Because of its color, this species is also called a tiger mosquito, and it comes from Africa. Over time, it settled on the islands of the Pacific Ocean and in South America.
It is dangerous for humans because it is a carrier of many dangerous diseases, including yellow fever, Zika virus, and dengue fever. The weight of the mosquito is small, and the blood drinks 3-4 times more body weight.
You can identify it by the characteristic white stripes on the legs. The same white stripes are on the back. They bite mainly in the evening and at dawn, but in urban conditions they can suck blood in the afternoon.
By the way, mosquitoes are considered to be one of the most dangerous insects in the world. You can find out more about this on our website TheBiggest.ru by clicking on the link.
Thick-bodied mosquitoes / Chaoboridae
These insects prefer to live near water bodies, as they belong to the family of long-winged dipterans.
Unlike their relatives of mosquitoes, they do not suck blood, and can do without food at all. But the larvae, developing in the water, eat small crustaceans, cubs of other insects.
These mosquitoes are painted a light yellow color and appear almost transparent. Mosquitoes grow up to 1 cm in length, and males are distinguished by characteristic feather-like antennae on the head.
Mosquito Squeak / Culex pipiens
It is worth mentioning this species, referred to in entomology as an ordinary mosquito. Although not the largest, but perhaps one of the most common types of mosquitoes on the planet.
It inhabits almost the entire globe, and adult individuals grow up to 8 mm. Males feed on plant juices, but females add human or animal blood to such a diet.
This type of mosquito during the flight makes up to 1 thousand flapping wings per second, which creates a characteristic, and so annoying, mosquito squeak.
Finally
So we learned what the largest mosquito is called, its habits and developmental features. As you can see, many from the world of centipedes mosquitoes are harmless, and, despite their frightening size, do not pose a danger to humans and animals. But tropical ones should be feared, because they are carriers of multiple diseases.
Article author: Valery Skiba