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Mosquito Life Cycle
Pupa: The pupal stage is a resting, non-feeding
stage of development, but pupae are mobile, responding to light changes and move
(tumble) with a flip of their tails towards the bottom or protective areas. This
is the time the mosquito changes into an adult. This process is similar to the
metamorphosis seen in butterflies when the butterfly develops - while in the
cocoon stage - from a caterpillar into an adult butterfly. In Culex
species in the southern United States this takes about two days in the summer.
When development is complete, the pupal skin splits and the adult mosquito
(imago) emerges.
Adult: The newly emerged adult rests on
the surface of the water for a short time to allow itself to dry and all its
body parts to harden. The wings have to spread out and dry properly before it
can fly. Blood feeding and mating does not occur for a couple of days after the
adults emerge.
The egg, larva and pupa stages depend on temperature and
species characteristics to determine how long they take for development. For
instance, Culex tarsalis , a common California (USA) mosquito,
might go through its life cycle in 14 days at 70º F and take only 10 days at 80º
F. On the other hand, some species have naturally adapted to go through their
entire life cycle in as little as four days or as long as one month.
The
following pictures show a typical mosquito egg raft, larva, pupa, and adult, and
explain more about each stage.
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Mosquito Life Cycle
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