Did you know that different species of mosquito have different tastes in blood? The species pictured above, Culex tarsalis, is native to California and prefers to bite birds, though it will also bite humans and can potentially spread West Nile Virus. In contrast, the invasive species Aedes aegypti is considered an urban mosquito and prefers to feed on human blood. A. aegypti is responsible for spreading disease-causing viruses such as yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. In both species, only the females bite for blood meals, while both sexes consume nectar from plants.
Pictured above, left to right: male C. tarsalis, female A. aegypti, male A. aegypti. Photos by Dr. Geoff Attardo, who studies the reproductive biology of mosquitos and other insect vectors of human disease.
Photos by Dr. Geoff Attardo; caption by Nicole Rodrigues
Edited by Jessica Schaefer