Question

A female Anopheles mosquito can be recognized by

• A. Proboscis and palpi are long and more or less of equal length
• B. Proboscis long and palpi short
• C. Proboscis short and palpi long
• D. Both proboscis and palpi are short

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Proboscis and palpi are long and more or less of equal length

Answer 2

The correct option is (A): Proboscis and palpi are long and more or less of equal length

The answer is correct because:

• Proboscis is a modified mouthpart that female mosquitoes use to pierce the skin and suck blood from hosts.
• Palpi are sensory organs located near the mouthparts that help the mosquito detect things like odors and moisture.
• In female Anopheles mosquitoes, the proboscis and palpi are both long and almost the same in length.
• This is one way to distinguish them from male Anopheles mosquitoes, which have much shorter palpi.

Thus, the right answer to this question is that the proboscis and palpi are long and more or less of equal length.