Template:POTD/2026-10-29
Mosquitoes (Culicidae) are a family of more than 3,700 species of flies found throughout most of the world. Both sexes feed on nectar, but females of many species also drink blood, using specialised mouthparts to pierce their hosts' skin. Mosquitoes undergo four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult, with the first three being largely aquatic. Some mosquito species transmit diseases including malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever, causing more than a million human deaths annually. Mosquitoes also serve as pollinators and as food for other animals. This annotated illustration shows the major body parts of a female mosquito of the species Culex pipiens, the common house mosquito. Its slender body is divided into three sections: the head, the thorax and the abdomen, and it has a pair of narrow wings and six long, jointed legs. The head bears two compound eyes, a pair of antennae, and an elongated proboscis adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood.Illustration credit: Mariana Ruiz Villarreal