Biology

Mosquitoes are a type of fly similar to a housefly. Like all flies, they only have two wings (one pair), and their mouth, which is called a proboscis, is modified to suck up food rather than chew it. Like all insects, they have an exoskeleton made of chitin instead of bones and three main body segments. They have a head where their sensory receptors used in sight and smell are located, a thorax that contains muscles (flight muscles) that they use to move around, and an abdomen where they digest food. 

• Mosquitoes like all insects have three (3) body parts:  head, thorax, and abdomen. 
• All insects have three sets of legs (6). 
• Insects can have one or two sets of wings depending on the species. 
• Mosquitoes belong to the order Diptera (“Di = two; hence two wings). 
• Most insects have a hard chitonous exoskeleton (no bones).
• Insects do not have lungs.  They instead breathe through spiricles (openings into the thoracic or abdominal cavities). 
• Mosquitoes begin their life in the water as a larva.   

Click here to learn more about the mosquito lifecycle and habitat