Anopheles

Anopheles, the only known carrier of malaria, also transmits filariasis and encephalitis. Anopheles mosquitoes are easily recognized in their resting position, in which the proboscis, head, and body are held on a straight line to each other but at an angle to the surface. The…

The Anopheles mosquito, the vector for the organism that causes malaria in humans, requires fresh standing water in order to complete the larval stages of its life cycle. When it was discovered that tank bromeliads are ideal sites for the mosquito to complete its life cycle,…

…the gastrointestinal tract of the Anopheles mosquito led to the realization that malaria was transmitted by Anopheles, and laid the foundation for combating the disease.

…the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, which feed on human blood in order to nourish their own eggs. While taking its meal (usually between dusk and dawn), an infected mosquito injects immature forms of the parasite, called sporozoites, into the person’s bloodstream. The sporozoites are carried by the blood…

…the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Other insects and some mites may also transmit forms of malaria to animals.

…of its developmental cycle in Anopheles mosquitoes. Epidemic relapsing fever, caused by spirochetes, is transmitted by the louse Pediculus. Leishmaniasis, caused by the protozoan Leishmania, is carried by the sand fly Phlebotomus.