''Toxorhynchites'', also called elephant mosquito or mosquito eater, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of diurnal and often relatively colorful

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 ...

es, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s. It includes the largest known species of mosquito, at up to in length and in wingspan. It is among the many kinds of mosquito that do not consume blood. The adults subsist on

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

-rich materials, such as honeydew, or saps and juices from damaged plants,

refuse Waste are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste product may beco ...

, fruit, and

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

. Mating in mid-air, males and females synchronize their wing beats to the same frequency. Eggs are deposited by flinging them onto water surfaces while hovering. They are either white or yellow in color, with an incubation period of 40–60 hours depending on the temperature. The older the female mosquito, the less likely the eggs will be healthy. In contrast to blood-sucking species of mosquitoes, their

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e prey on the larvae of other mosquitoes and similar

nekton Nekton or necton (from the ) is any aquatic organism that can actively and persistently propel itself through a water column (i.e. swimming) without touching the bottom. Nektons generally have powerful tails and appendages (e.g. fins, pleopods, ...

ic prey, making ''Toxorhynchites'' beneficial to humans. Living on this protein and fat rich diet, females have no need to risk their lives sucking blood in adulthood, having already accumulated the necessary materials for

oogenesis Oogenesis () or ovogenesis is the differentiation of the ovum (egg cell) into a cell competent to further develop when fertilized. It is developed from the primary oocyte by maturation. Oogenesis is initiated before birth during embryonic devel ...

and

vitellogenesis Vitellogenesis is the process of yolk protein formation in the oocytes during sexual maturation. The term ''vitellogenesis'' comes from the Latin language, Latin ''vitellus'' ("egg yolk"). Yolk proteins, such as lipovitellin and phosvitin, provid ...

. The larvae of one

jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

variety, '' Toxorhynchites splendens'', consume larvae of other mosquito species occurring in tree crevices, particularly ''

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'' ( or from Greek 'hateful' and from Latin, meaning 'of Egypt'), sometimes called the Egyptian mosquito, dengue mosquito or yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that spreads diseases like dengue fever, yellow fever, malar ...

''. Environmental scientists have suggested that ''Toxorhynchites'' mosquitoes be introduced to areas outside their natural range in order to fight

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. Asymptomatic infections are uncommon, mild cases happen frequently; if symptoms appear, they typically begin 3 to 14 days after i ...

. This has been practiced historically, but errors have been made. For example, when intending to introduce ''T. splendens'' to new areas, scientists actually introduced ''T. amboinensis''. An extinct species '' T. mexicanus'' is known from

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

aged

Mexican Amber Mexican amber, also known as Chiapas Amber is amber found in Mexico, created during the Early Miocene and middle Miocene epochs of the Cenozoic Era in southwestern North America. As with other ambers, a wide variety of taxa have been found as in ...

Species

The genus ''Toxorhynchites'' is divided into 4 subgenera and contains 90 species also including 1 extinct species:

Subgenus ''(Toxorhynchites)''

*''

Toxorhynchites acaudatus ''Toxorhynchites'', also called elephant mosquito or mosquito eater, is a genus of diurnal and often relatively colorful mosquitoes, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in forests. It includes the large ...

'' *''

Toxorhynchites albipes ''Toxorhynchites'', also called elephant mosquito or mosquito eater, is a genus of diurnal and often relatively colorful mosquitoes, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in forests. It includes the large ...

'' *''

Toxorhynchites amboinensis ''Toxorhynchites'', also called elephant mosquito or mosquito eater, is a genus of diurnal and often relatively colorful mosquitoes, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in forests. It includes the large ...

'' *'' Toxorhynchites angustiplatus'' *'' Toxorhynchites ater'' *'' Toxorhynchites auranticauda'' *'' Toxorhynchites auripes'' *'' Toxorhynchites barbipes'' *'' Toxorhynchites bengalensis'' *'' Toxorhynchites bickleyi'' *'' Toxorhynchites brevipalpis''

*'' Toxorhynchites camaronis'' *''

Toxorhynchites christophi ''Toxorhynchites christophi'' is a species of non-hematophagous (non-blood-feeding) mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ' ...

Toxorhynchites nepenthis ''Toxorhynchites'', also called elephant mosquito or mosquito eater, is a genus of diurnal and often relatively colorful mosquitoes, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in forests. It includes the large ...

'' *'' Toxorhynchites nigripes'' *'' Toxorhynchites okinawensis'' *'' Toxorhynchites pendleburyi'' *'' Toxorhynchites phytophagus'' *'' Toxorhynchites quasiferox'' *''

Toxorhynchites rajah ''Toxorhynchites rajah'' is a species of mosquito in the genus ''Toxorhynchites''. It is endemic to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. In its larval stage, ''T. rajah'' is found exclusively in the pitchers of ''Nepenthes rajah'' (hence the name), a spec ...

'' *'' Toxorhynchites ramalingami'' **'' Toxorhynchites raris'' *'' Toxorhynchites rickenbachi'' *'' Toxorhynchites rodhaini'' *''

Toxorhynchites speciosus ''Toxorhynchites speciosus'' is a species of mosquito in the genus ''Toxorhynchites'', commonly known as elephant mosquitoes. Native to Australia, this species is distinguished by its large size and the predatory behavior of its larvae, which fee ...

'' *'' Toxorhynchites splendens'' *'' Toxorhynchites sumatranus'' *'' Toxorhynchites sunthorni'' *'' Toxorhynchites towadensis'' Toxorhynchites towadensis towadaooka02

*'' Toxorhynchites tyagii'' *'' Toxorhynchites domrey''

Subgenus ''(Afrorhynchus)''

Subgenus ''(Ankylorhynchus'')

*'' Toxorhynchites catharinensis'' *'' Toxorhynchites hexacis'' *'' Toxorhynchites purpureus'' *'' Toxorhynchites trichopygus''

Subgenus ''(Lynchiella)''

*'' Toxorhynchites bambusicola'' *'' Toxorhynchites cavalierii'' *'' Toxorhynchites gerbergi'' *'' Toxorhynchites grandiosus'' *'' Toxorhynchites guadeloupensis'' *'' Toxorhynchites haemorrhoidalis''

*'' Toxorhynchites hypoptes'' *'' Toxorhynchites mariae'' *'' Toxorhynchites moctezuma'' *'' Toxorhynchites portoricensis'' *'' Toxorhynchites pusillus'' *'' Toxorhynchites rizzoi'' *''

Toxorhynchites rutilus ''Toxorhynchites rutilus'', also known as the elephant mosquito or treehole predatory mosquito, is a species of mosquito in the family Culicidae. Unlike most species in the genus that populate the tropics, ''Tx. rutilus'' is endemic to temperate ...

'' *'' Toxorhynchites solstitialis'' *'' Toxorhynchites theobaldi'' Toxorhynchites_theobaldi

*'' Toxorhynchites violaceus'' *'' Toxorhynchites caatingensis''

References

External links

''Toxorhynchites''
at the

Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit ("WRBU") is a US Army organization that conducts laboratory and field research on the systematics of medically important arthropods in support of epidemiological investigations and disease prevention and control ...

Video showing larvae of ''Toxorhynchites rutilus'' feeding on other mosquito larvae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q137785 Mosquito genera Taxa named by Frederick Vincent Theobald