Life Cycle of Anopheles Species Mosquitoes
Anopheles species mosquitoes
It usually takes 10–14 days for an egg to develop into an adult mosquito.
Life stages of Anopheles species
Eggs
Unique Anopheles eggs have floats on either side.
- Adult, female mosquitoes lay eggs one at a time directly on water. The eggs float on the surface of the water.
- Adult, female mosquitoes lay 50–200 eggs at a time.
- Eggs do not tolerate drying out.
Larva
Larvae live in the water.
- Larvae live in the water. They hatch from mosquito eggs.
- Anopheles larvae breath by using special organs (called spiracles) located on their abdomen.
- Larvae shed their skin (molt) four times during this stage before becoming pupae.
Pupa
Pupae live in the water.
- Pupae live in water. Pupae do not have external mouthparts, so they do not eat during this stage.
- An adult mosquito emerges from a pupa and flies away.
Adult
An adult mosquito emerges from a pupa.
An adult female mosquito bites a person.
- Adult female mosquitoes bite people and animals. Female mosquitoes need blood to produce eggs.
- Adult female Anopheles mosquitoes prefer to feed on people or animals, such as cattle.
- Some Anopheles male mosquitoes fly in large swarms, usually around dusk, and the females fly in the swarms to mate.
- After blood feeding, the female mosquitoes rest for a few days while the blood digests and the eggs develop. After the eggs develop, the female lays them in the water sources.
- Anopheles mosquitoes generally don’t fly more than a 1.2 miles (2 km) from their larval habitats.
- Anopheles mosquitoes are attracted to dark, sheltered areas for resting during the daytime.
Related Resources
Mosquito Life Cycle: Anopheles species mosquitoes