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Toxorhynchites

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Toxorhynchites, also called elephant mosquito or mosquito eater, is a genus of diurnal and often relatively colorful mosquitoes, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in forests. It includes the largest known species of mosquito, at up to 18 mm (0.71 in) in length and 24 mm (0.94 in) in wingspan.[1] It is among the many kinds of mosquito that do not consume blood. The adults subsist on carbohydrate-rich materials, such as honeydew, or saps and juices from damaged plants, refuse, fruit, and nectar.[2]

Toxorhynchites
Temporal range: Miocene–Present
Toxorhynchites speciosus
Toxorhynchites speciosus larva
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Subfamily: Culicinae
Tribe: Toxorhynchitini
Genus: Toxorhynchites
Theobald, 1901
Species

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Mating in mid-air, males and females synchronize their wing beats to the same frequency.[3][4] Eggs are deposited by flinging them onto water surfaces while hovering.[3] They are either white or yellow in color, with an incubation period of 40–60 hours depending on the temperature. The older the female mosquito, the less likely the eggs will be healthy.[5]

In contrast to blood-sucking species of mosquitoes, their larvae prey on the larvae of other mosquitoes and similar nektonic prey, making Toxorhynchites beneficial to humans.[1] Living on this protein and fat rich diet, females have no need to risk their lives sucking blood in adulthood, having already accumulated the necessary materials for oogenesis and vitellogenesis. The larvae of one jungle variety, Toxorhynchites splendens, consume larvae of other mosquito species occurring in tree crevices, particularly Aedes aegypti.

Environmental scientists have suggested that Toxorhynchites mosquitoes be introduced to areas outside their natural range in order to fight dengue fever. This has been practiced historically, but errors have been made. For example, when intending to introduce T. splendens to new areas, scientists actually introduced T. amboinensis.[5]

An extinct species T. mexicanus is known from Miocene aged Mexican Amber.[6]

Male T. rutilus on goldenrod

Species

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The genus Toxorhynchites is divided into 4 subgenera and contains 90 species also included 1 extinct species:[7]

Subgenus (Toxorhynchites)

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T. brevipalpis
 
T. towadensis

Subgenus (Afrorhynchus)

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Subgenus (Ankylorhynchus)

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Subgenus (Lynchiella)

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T. haemorrhoidalis
 
T. theobaldi

References

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  1. ^ a b Cook, G.C.; Zumla, A (2009). Manson's Tropical Diseases (22 ed.). Saunders Elsevier. p. 1735. ISBN 978-1-4160-4470-3.
  2. ^ Bonnet, D. D.; Hu, S. M. K. (1951). "The Introduction of Toxorhynchites brevipalpis Theobald into the Territory of Hawaii". Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. 14 (2): 237–242. hdl:10125/16231.
  3. ^ a b Hansen, Cypress (19 August 2021). "The Secret Lives of Mosquitoes, the World's Most Hated Insects". Smithsonian Voices.
  4. ^ Gibson, Gabriella; Russell, Ian (July 2006). "Flying in Tune: Sexual Recognition in Mosquitoes". Current Biology. 16 (13): 1311–1316. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2006.05.053. PMID 16824918. S2CID 11833769.
  5. ^ a b Collins, Larissa E.; Blackwell, Alison (2000). "The biology of Toxorhynchites mosquitoes and their potential as biocontrol agents". Biocontrol News and Information. 21 (4): 105–116.
  6. ^ Zavortink, Thomas J.; Poinar, George O. (January 2008). "Toxorhynchites (toxorhynchites) mexicanus, N. SP. (Diptera: Culicidae) from Mexican Amber: A New World Species with Old World Affinities". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 110 (1): 116–125. doi:10.4289/0013-8797-110.1.116. S2CID 85578548.
  7. ^ Toxorhynchites at the Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  8. ^ Röder, V. von (1885). "Diptera von Insel Portorico". Entomologische Zeitung [de]. 46: 337–349.
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