How Much Does a Mosquito Weigh in Pounds?
WouterSeveral factors determine the size of an adult mosquito. They include the food supply in breeding waters, larval density, and development period. Some species develop from egg to adult in five days, while others take up to forty days. In addition, mosquitoes have been found to travel up to a hundred miles from where they hatched.
Mosquitoes are members of the Culicidae family, which is comprised of more than 2,500 species of insects around the world. These insects resemble crane flies and chironomid flies.
All mosquitoes have three segments: a head, an abdomen, and a pair of wings. Each segment is specialized for different functions. The head is for sensory information, the abdomen is for feeding, and the wings are for flight. Each mosquito is approximately one centimeter long. The average mosquito weighs between 2.5 and 5 milligrams.
Female mosquitoes need a blood meal to reproduce. They feed on plant juices and nectar, but they also drink animal blood. The mosquito takes approximately five microliters of blood in a single bite.
To make an egg, the mosquito needs a large amount of protein. The protein is contained in the blood. As the female mosquito drinks blood, the abdomen expands. The abdominal area can hold up to three times the mosquito’s own weight in blood. The female mosquito then injects an anticoagulant into the blood to help keep the blood moving.
The female mosquito is also extremely specialized in its mouthparts. The abdomen contains a series of six stylets. Each stylet has a piercing tip that remains in contact with the host’s skin. The other mouthparts, the proboscis, are tube-like.
