Common Name: Eastern Saltmarsh Mosquito
Scientific Name: Aedes sollicitan
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Genus: Aedes
Subgenus: Stegomyia
Species: A. sollicitans
The Aedes sollicitan (Eastern Saltmarsh Mosquito) is in the Nematocerid family and is a native species of mosquito found primarily in the coastal areas of the United States. The Saltmarsh Mosquito has a stripe of white scales around the central areas of the proboscis and a portion on the hind tarsomeres as well as a yellow stripe in the middle. The female Aedes Sollicitan lays eggs on dry salty areas on next to a water source. The egg hatches when the high tide fills the hole where the Mosquito develops. The Saltmarsh Mosquito stays within 5 miles from the coast at an average, and tends to feed most actively at twilight. In the life cycle it goes through four stages; egg, larva, pupa, and adult. They feed on nectar and plant juices, but the female have mouth parts that let them pierce the skin for blood sucking. A Mosquito bite’s visible and irritating response is from the saliva.
Author: Sean C
Published: 03/2010
Sources:
Photo credit:
https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Aedes&guide=Mosquito_larvae