⚡ CHEAT SHEET

Ch.2: Mosquito Characteristics & Life Cycle

What the exam tests on the four life-cycle stages, three egg-laying patterns, three Michigan breeding-site classes, and Anopheles vs Culicine identification.

🎯 Top 5 Traps

Female mosquitoes blood-feed to PRODUCE EGGS — not for energy or to acquire viruses. Both sexes feed on nectar and plant juices for energy. Only females need the blood-protein for egg production. "To feel full" and "to obtain viruses for survival" are explicit distractors in the manual.

Anopheles larvae rest PARALLEL to the surface; all other Culicinae HANG at an ANGLE. Anopheles uses dorsal breathing holes (no siphon) and float hairs at the surface film. Aedes/Culex/Psorophora hang head-down with siphon at surface. Coquillettidia is the exception — pierces aquatic plant roots and never surfaces to breathe.

Three egg-laying patterns map to specific genera. Singly on water = Anopheles. Rafts on water = Culex, Culiseta, Coquillettidia, Uranotaenia. Singly OUT OF water (damp soil, container walls) = Aedes, Psorophora, Orthopodomyia. The "out of water" eggs are desiccation-resistant — viable up to 7 years.

Anopheles female palps = ROUGHLY THE LENGTH OF the proboscis. Culicine females (Aedes, Culex, etc.) have palps MUCH SHORTER than the proboscis. This is the standard genus-level identification feature.

Three Michigan breeding-site classes: permanent water, floodwater, artificial container/tree hole. NOT "storm water" or "lake/marsh/floodwater." The exact category names are exam-tested distractors. Floodwater further divides into spring (snowmelt, 1 generation/yr) vs summer (rainfall-triggered, multi-generation).

🔢 Numbers You Must Know

Number

What It Represents

more than 3,000

Mosquito species worldwide (order Diptera, family Culicidae)

about 150 / 14 genera

Mosquito species and genera in the United States

10 of 14 genera / 60+ species

Mosquito genera and species present in Michigan

4 stages

Mosquito life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, adult (complete metamorphosis)

4 instars

Number of larval molts before pupation

2 to 3 days

Anopheles egg float-to-hatch time; also pupal stage duration

5 to 10 days

Larval development time at normal Michigan summer temperatures (longer in cold)

up to 300

Eggs per Culex/Culiseta/Coquillettidia/Uranotaenia raft

up to 7 years

Viability of desiccation-resistant Aedes/Psorophora eggs laid out of water

1 inch

Approximate rainfall threshold that triggers summer floodwater egg hatching

24 hours

Time males emerge BEFORE females (males stay nearby and wait)

24 to 48 hours

Window after female emergence in which mating typically occurs

10 to 14 days

Typical adult male lifespan (females live weeks to months)

1/16 to 1/2 inch

Adult mosquito length range

first week of July

Typical Coquillettidia perturbans adult emergence (1 generation/year; overwinters as larva)

🔀 Easily Confused

Pair / Group

Distinguishing Feature

Anopheles vs Culicine (larvae)

Anopheles: parallel to surface, dorsal breathing holes, no siphon. Culicine (Aedes, Culex, Psorophora, etc.): hang at angle, siphon tip at surface. Coquillettidia: pierces aquatic plant roots — never surfaces.

Anopheles vs Culicine (adult females)

Anopheles: palps roughly as long as the proboscis; abdominal scales absent or sparse. Culicine: palps much shorter than proboscis; abdomen covered with scales (Aedes/Psorophora abdomens taper at apex).

Wrigglers vs Tumblers

Wrigglers = larvae. Move by rapid body flexures. Feed and breathe at surface. Tumblers = pupae. Move by abdominal/paddle flexes. Non-feeding, transitional, 2 to 3 days.

Permanent water vs Floodwater vs Container/tree hole

Permanent: swamps, ponds, lagoons, ditches that don't dry up — Anopheles, Culex, Coquillettidia. Floodwater: snowmelt or rain-flooded depressions — Aedes, Psorophora, desiccation-resistant eggs. Container/tree hole: tires, buckets, tree cavities — Aedes triseriatus, Aedes japonicus.

Spring vs Summer floodwater

Spring: snowmelt-pool eggs hatch late March, adults emerge mid-May, 1 generation/year (Aedes stimulans, A. excrucians, A. provocans, A. canadensis). Summer: rainfall-triggered, larvae develop in 7 to 10 days, multi-generation (Aedes vexans, A. trivittatus, A. sticticus).

Male vs Female adults

Male: bushy plumose antennae, longer palps with last 2 segments bent up, no blood-feeding. Female: short sparse antennae hairs, palps vary by genus, blood-feeds for egg production.

Coquillettidia perturbans (the unique one)

Pierces submerged plant roots/stems for oxygen — larvae and pupae never surface. Only 1 generation/year in MI. Overwinters as a LARVA (vs Aedes/Psorophora which overwinter as eggs, vs Anopheles/Culex which overwinter as mated females).

🥚 Egg-Laying Patterns by Genus

Pattern

Genera

Key Notes

Singly on water surface

Anopheles

Eggs have lateral float extensions. Float until they hatch in 2 to 3 days.

Glued in rafts on water

Culex, Culiseta, Coquillettidia, Uranotaenia

Up to 300 eggs per raft, attached together. Float on surface.

Singly OUT OF water

Aedes, Psorophora, Orthopodomyia

Laid on damp soil OR on container/tree-hole walls just above the water line. Desiccation-resistant — viable up to 7 years. Hatch when later flooded. Some spring Aedes need prolonged cold first.

🏞️ Michigan Mosquito Breeding-Site Classes

Class

Habitats

Key Genera & Species

Permanent water

Swamps, ponds, sewage lagoons, catch basins, ditches that don't usually dry up

Anopheles (An. quadrimaculatus, An. perplexens — clean water), Culex pipiens & Cx. restuans (polluted/organic), Coquillettidia perturbans (vegetated freshwater, 1 gen/yr, overwinters as larva). Anopheles & Culex overwinter as mated females; many generations/yr.

Floodwater

Snowmelt pools, summer-rain-flooded meadows, floodplains, roadside ditches, tire tracks, animal footprints; eggs in ground depressions or leaf litter

Spring: Aedes stimulans, A. excrucians, A. provocans, A. canadensis (1 gen/yr; emerge mid-May). Summer: Aedes vexans, A. trivittatus, A. sticticus (multi-gen; rainfall-triggered, ~1 inch). All Aedes & Psorophora overwinter as eggs.

Artificial container / tree hole

Tires, rain buckets, tree holes, anything holding water; eggs laid on container walls just above the water line

Aedes triseriatus (native, wooded sites), Aedes japonicus (exotic, mixed). Culex pipiens often present in organically enriched sunny containers — Aedes japonicus avoids these. Many generations per season.

💡 Memory Hooks

Egg patterns — "ACA": A nopheles A lone (singly on water). C ulex et al. C luster (rafts). A edes et al. A bove water (out of water, desiccation-resistant).

Larval positions — "Flat, Tilt, Roots": Anopheles rests flat on the surface. Other Culicinae tilt with siphon at the surface. Coquillettidia ties into plant roots and never surfaces.

Wrigglers and Tumblers: Larvae wriggle (body flexes). Pupae tumble (paddle flips). Two stages, two motions, two names.

Blood meal purpose: "Females need protein; males live on sugar." Only females blood-feed, and only for egg production — both sexes drink nectar for energy.

Palps: "Anopheles palps = proboscis length. Culicine palps are short." If palps match the proboscis, you're looking at Anopheles.

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