Question

How would you differentiate between Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes pertaining to their: Eggs, Larvae and Adults.

Answer 1

A species of insect with a thin body, six legs and a pair of scaled wings is a mosquito. They have mouth parts that bite and a pair of wide compound eyes that meet each other. Culex and Anopheles eggs vary in shape, their larvae vary in feeding, and their adults have unique wings.

Complete Answer:
Worldwide, about 3,500 species of mosquitoes have been described, and they are divided into three genera: Culex, Anopheles, and Aedes. Each genus serves as a specific parasite's intermediate host. The three genera are, thus, vectors of diseases. During the blood feeding of mosquitoes, the propagation of the disease occurs.

| Culex| Anopheles
---|---|---
Eggs| i. Eggs are laid on the water's surface in clusters.ii. They lay eggs that are cigar-shaped.iii. Eggs lack floating lateral air.| i. Eggs are laid individually on the surface of the water in a horizontal pattern.ii. They lay eggs that are boat-shaped.iii. There are lateral air floats for eggs that make them float.
Larvae| i. The larva is a feeder from the bottom.ii. The larva’s head is round.| i. Here, larva is a feeder from the surface.ii. The larva’s head is broad.
Adults| Adults of Culex have transparent wings and are able to fly long distances.| Adults of Anopheles have dark spotted wings, unable to fly long distances.

Note: Culex acts as the intermediate host of the filarial nematodes and West Nile virus, while Anopheles acts as the definitive host of the Malaria parasite; this is the major distinction between Culex and Anopheles.