''Psorophora ferox'' is a medium-sized
mosquito
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
native to much of North and South America. It inhabits wet woodlands, laying its eggs in temporary pools filled with rainwater. Larvae develop during summer in North America. They are aggressive feeders and give painful bites.
[Carpenter SJ, LaCasse, WJ. Mosquitoes of North America alifornia library reprint series edition 1974 Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: UC Press; 1955. 487 pp.][
Holderman C, Connelly CR. ''Psorophora ferox'' nternet Entomology & Nematology Department, University of Florida. 2015 Aug ited 2016 Aug 1 Available from: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/aquatic/Psorophora_ferox.htm] The mosquito is reported to be active during both day and night.
[Arnett R. Notes on the distribution, habits, and habitats of some Panama Culicines (Diptera: Culicidae), (continued). Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 1949;57(4):233-51.]
Description
The adult's
thorax
The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen.
In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...
is covered in dark scales with flecks of lighter yellowish scales. The
abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...
is mostly dark-scaled dorsally, and yellowish ventrally. These yellowish scales form apicolateral triangular patches. The dorsum reflects a purple color. The legs are largely dark with white scales on the last two
tarsal segments. The female's wings range from around 3.7-4.0 mm. The
proboscis
A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a pr ...
is long and dark.
Range
''Ps. ferox'' occurs throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, south through Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
Medical significance
''Ps. ferox'' carries a number of diseases, although it is not considered a major
vector
Vector most often refers to:
* Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction
* Disease vector, an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism
Vector may also refer to:
Mathematics a ...
. It is known to carry
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE). It was found to be a minor vector of
West Nile virus
West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...
(WNV) in New York. Several viruses have been found in this mosquito in the Amazon, such as
Una virus and
Ilheus virus.
In Central and South America, the mosquito carries the
larvae
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...
of ''
Dermatobia hominis
The human botfly, ''Dermatobia hominis'' (Greek δέρμα, skin + βίος, life, and Latin '' hominis'', of a human), is a species of botfly whose larvae parasitise humans (in addition to a wide range of other animals, including other primate ...
'', the human bot fly, a parasite whose larvae develop inside the flesh of a mammal host.
[Requena-Zúñiga, E., Chapilliquen-Alban, F., Leon-Cueto, W. et al. First record of Psorophora ferox (Diptera: Culicidae) infested with eggs of Dermatobia hominis (Diptera: Cuterebridae), in Ucayali: Peru. BMC Res Notes 17, 98 (2024). https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-024-06759-y]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13852267
Aedini
Diptera of North America
Insects described in 1819