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Toxorhynchites
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Toxorhynchites

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Toxorhynchites, also called elephant mosquitoes or mosquito eaters, 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 largest known species of mosquito, at up to in length and in wingspan. It is among the few kinds of mosquito that do not consume blood. The adults subsist on carbohydrate-rich materials, such as honeydew, or saps and juices from damaged plants, refuse, fruit, and nectar.

Species

GENUS

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. ClassInsecta
  4. OrderDiptera
  5. FamilyCulicidae
Observations recorded6,886

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
179
Family
Culicidae
Collections
YPM, INDRE-SSA, FCB-UANL
Recorded in
United States, Philippines, Mexico, Colombia

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Mosquito
Image
Toxorhynchites speciosus 01 L.D..jpg
Show 5 more facts
taxon rank
genus
taxon name
Toxorhynchites
Commons category
Toxorhynchites
topic's main category
Category:Toxorhynchites
taxon common name
オオカ属
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • Species
  • Subgenus ''(Toxorhynchites)''
  • Subgenus ''(Afrorhynchus)''
  • Subgenus ''(Ankylorhynchus'')
  • Subgenus ''(Lynchiella)''
  • References
  • External links

Toxorhynchites, also called elephant mosquitoes or mosquito eaters, 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 largest known species of mosquito, at up to in length and in wingspan. It is among the few kinds of mosquito that do not consume blood. The adults subsist on carbohydrate-rich materials, such as honeydew, or saps and juices from damaged plants, refuse, fruit, and nectar.

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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Toxorhynchites” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (10)