There are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, with only 180 in North America. One is the Toxorhynchites rutilus septentrionalis, also known as the elephant mosquito, is one of the largest species of mosquitoes. Their wingspan is half an inch with legs that can overlap a U.S. quarter. Their feeding behaviors make them strikingly different from a typical mosquito. Both adult males and females are strictly nectar-feeding and so they do not have a role in the transmission of pathogens to animals as in other mosquitoes. Instead, their larvae are predacious and could potentially help curb the spread of common diseases via vector mosquitoes. Scientists near Houston, Texas are raising these mosquito assassins as a tactic against the common disease-spreading mosquitoes.
Location: Conway, Arkansas.
Photo # F2505771_169.
(c) Kelly Shipp
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