Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an animal species in Culicidae, has white bands on its legs and body, lives in forests and gardens, flies and eats during the day, an epidemiologically important vector for the transmission of many viral pathogens, including yellow fever, fever dengue, Chikungunya fever, some filarial nematodes and Zika.
Ae. Albopictus is less than 10 mm long from tip to tip with a striking white and black pattern. Males are about 20% smaller than females, but they are very similar morphologically, the maxillary palpa is longer than the trunk, the tarsus of the hind legs is more silvery in color.
The trunk is dark, the upper surface of the tip segment of the palpai is covered with silvery scales and the labium does not have a bright stripe on the bottom. Compound eyes are separate from each other. The scales on the back of the chest segment are black along the white midline. On the sides of the chest, shoulder blades and abdomen have many spots covered with silvery white scales.
Silvery scales can also be found on the tarsus, especially on the hind legs which usually hang in the air. The bases of tarsomer I to IV have a ring of white scales. The first three tarsomeres on the front and middle limbs have white scaly rings, while the V tarsomeres on the hind limbs are completely white.
The femur of each leg is black with white scales at the ends of the knees. The femora of the middle limbs does not have a silver stripe at the base of the upper side, whereas the femora of the hind limbs has short white stripes at the base of the upper side. Tibiae are black at the base and do not have white scales.
Terga in segments II to VI of the abdomen have a dark color and silvery white markings that are almost triangular on the base that is not parallel to the silvery band on the ventral side of the abdomen. The triangular mark and the silvery band are parallel only to the abdominal segment VII. The transparent wings have white spots at the base of the ribs.
The female has an elongated trunk which it uses to collect blood to feed eggs. Its fast bite and agility allow it to avoid most of the attempts of people to pat. Males eat nectar and do not bite.
Females lay their eggs near stagnant or flowing water. Water less than 30mL is sufficient for larval development. It is more likely to lay eggs in water sources near flowers than in water sources without flowers. The flight distance is less than 200 m, so the breeding ground is most likely close to where these mosquitoes were found.
Females need blood food to develop eggs. They also continue to eat nectar and other sweet plant juices like males do. They search for blood using carbon dioxide and organic matter produced by the host, moisture and optical recognition. The Asian tiger mosquito bites in the forest during the day.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Nematocera
Infraorder: Culicomorpha
Superfamily: Culicoidea
Family: Culicidae
Subfamily: Culicinae
Tribe: Aedini
Genus: Aedes
Subgenus: Stegomyia
Species: Aedes albopictus
Ae. Albopictus is less than 10 mm long from tip to tip with a striking white and black pattern. Males are about 20% smaller than females, but they are very similar morphologically, the maxillary palpa is longer than the trunk, the tarsus of the hind legs is more silvery in color.
The trunk is dark, the upper surface of the tip segment of the palpai is covered with silvery scales and the labium does not have a bright stripe on the bottom. Compound eyes are separate from each other. The scales on the back of the chest segment are black along the white midline. On the sides of the chest, shoulder blades and abdomen have many spots covered with silvery white scales.
Silvery scales can also be found on the tarsus, especially on the hind legs which usually hang in the air. The bases of tarsomer I to IV have a ring of white scales. The first three tarsomeres on the front and middle limbs have white scaly rings, while the V tarsomeres on the hind limbs are completely white.
The femur of each leg is black with white scales at the ends of the knees. The femora of the middle limbs does not have a silver stripe at the base of the upper side, whereas the femora of the hind limbs has short white stripes at the base of the upper side. Tibiae are black at the base and do not have white scales.
Terga in segments II to VI of the abdomen have a dark color and silvery white markings that are almost triangular on the base that is not parallel to the silvery band on the ventral side of the abdomen. The triangular mark and the silvery band are parallel only to the abdominal segment VII. The transparent wings have white spots at the base of the ribs.
The female has an elongated trunk which it uses to collect blood to feed eggs. Its fast bite and agility allow it to avoid most of the attempts of people to pat. Males eat nectar and do not bite.
Females lay their eggs near stagnant or flowing water. Water less than 30mL is sufficient for larval development. It is more likely to lay eggs in water sources near flowers than in water sources without flowers. The flight distance is less than 200 m, so the breeding ground is most likely close to where these mosquitoes were found.
Females need blood food to develop eggs. They also continue to eat nectar and other sweet plant juices like males do. They search for blood using carbon dioxide and organic matter produced by the host, moisture and optical recognition. The Asian tiger mosquito bites in the forest during the day.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Nematocera
Infraorder: Culicomorpha
Superfamily: Culicoidea
Family: Culicidae
Subfamily: Culicinae
Tribe: Aedini
Genus: Aedes
Subgenus: Stegomyia
Species: Aedes albopictus
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