Pretty pest

June 12, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

With the exception of the so-called Goliath mosquitoes that start to appear around here in late August and come in almost psychedelic colors, I don't pay a lot of taxonomic attention to mosquitoes in general... save to try to determine what sprays will repel them and how to swat the skeeters that are undeterred by repellents. But when I saw this one on a Viburnum flower, it was striking enough that I paused and made a concerted effort to photograph it at close range to determine its identity. Mosquito ID, I quickly discovered, is hard work, and I really need to collect them to learn the diagnostic features. About all I can say for certain about the insect in my viewfinder is that it's a female—the males have plume-like antennae, while those of the females are thin—but after looking over a few articles, I came away with the creepy suspicion that that handsome creature is a notorious and potentially dangerous invasive species called the Asian Tiger Mosquito. It arrived in this country hidden in shipments of tires from Asia in the 1980s, and it can carry such delightful ailments as encephalitis, Dengue and Yellow fevers, Dog Heartworm, and the Zika virus. Here's one case where I hope my ID is wrong. This is not a mosquito I want in the neighborhood.


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