What do malaria mosquitoes look like and what are the risks?

The malaria mosquito has spread almost all over the world. It exists even in countries where the malaria transmitted by it is an officially eradicated disease. In Russia, a representative of this type of mosquito can also be found - it lives on the territory of the European part and in Western Siberia. But the climatic conditions of Eastern Siberia are not suitable for him, since the winter there is especially cold and long. This insect in itself does not constitute a danger, and it can only reward a person with a dangerous disease after it gets infected.

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The malarial mosquito, or anopheles, belongs to the order of dipterans. In total, there are several species of these insects and many of them carry human parasites - about 10 varieties of malarial plasmodia.

Anopheles mosquito is a threat to humans only if it has previously bitten a victim infected with malaria. At his proboscis, he transfers plasmodia and infects them with his next source of saturation. And since only females eat blood, it is they who constitute the danger.

By 2005, science had studied and described 7 subgenus of malaria mosquitoes, which include about 440 species. About 10 species of these insects are found in Russia, and they settle mainly in the territories of the European and Far Eastern parts.

Body structure

An adult insect has an elongated body, a thin proboscis, located on a small head, and long legs. The body is quite fragile and, under mechanical stress, its strength suffers. Thin wings are covered with scales and when folded are located horizontally above the abdomen.

The structure of the malaria mosquito will be as follows:

• the head is round, the proboscis is its natural extension; complex eyes and antennae are located on the head; clypeus on lower part of forehead; on the crown of the head and neck, scales and hairs, on both sides of the head in front of the eyes there are cheeks in the form of plates;
• The proboscis has a complex structure and consists of two upper and two lower jaws, an upper and lower lip and a hypopharynx; on the lower jaws there are palps; the upper jaw is represented by a thin strip of chitin, the flat end of which forms a blade; on the front half of the outer edge of this blade are small teeth, the number of which can be from 30 to 50;
• antennae are the senses, they are in front of the eyes and are attached to a wide main plate; the second segment, located at the base of the antennae, contains the Johnson organ, which is supposedly an organ of hearing; each antennae has thin hairs, which are much more numerous in males than in females;
• the chest consists of three parts: prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax; prothorax carries the head, mesothorax - legs, wings and spiracles, hindbrain - hind thoracic spiracle;
• the abdomen is divided into 10 segments, the last two of which are part of the genital apparatus; the first eight segments are connected by a pleura, which is stretched and allows the abdomen to increase in size during the act of eating and when carrying eggs.

Stages of development

A female mosquito mosquito can lay 50 to 200 eggs at a time. She puts the masonry on the surface of the water and each of their eggs is able to find its convenient position. Over time, the eggs sink to the bottom of the pond, where the formation of pupae takes place.

The larva of a malaria mosquito is born in about 2-3 days. But if the climatic conditions are unfavorable and the air temperature drops below the permissible mark, then the miracle of being born can happen only 15-20 days after the female makes the laying.

In the best way, the development of a malaria mosquito occurs in a clean reservoir, which has not yet managed to overgrow with a duckweed. Acidic waters with poor flora and fauna are not suitable for larvae, since in the process of growth they simply will have nothing to eat. Food acceptable to them is found in bodies of water with slightly alkaline and neutral waters.

On a note! Filamentous algae grow in the same place, in which the larvae can hide from fish and other predators, for which they are a tidbit!

The cover of the body of the larva of the anopheles mosquito is a waterproof cuticle, spikes and hairs are located on it. Thanks to the hairs, she can move and pick up the slightest fluctuations in water.

Larvae of the first, second, and beginning of the third age have one pair of eyes covered with scales. As they grow, at the end of the third age and at the fourth age, a second pair of eyes forms - these are the rudiments of the complex eyes of an adult. In addition to the eyes on the head, the larvae have antennae and an oral organ.

On a note! If the basis of nutrition is plankton, then the antennae will be especially long, if the larva eats from the surface of the film and scrapes food from the bottom - short!

At the end of each of the four ages, the larva drops its skin. With the end of the fourth age, the development of the larva stops and it turns into a chrysalis. This stage is the last phase of growth - the cephalothorax is cracked and the pupa becomes an adult.

Common mosquito and malaria: differences

As can be seen from the body structure, the malaria mosquito looks almost the same as the usual one, but differences still exist:

• the legs of the malaria mosquito are significantly longer than those of the ordinary, especially the back;
• the tentacles of the female anopheles are almost equal in size to the proboscis, in ordinary ones — the length of the tentacle is ¼ of the proboscis;
• the wings of an ordinary mosquito have a uniform color, while the malaria have spots on them;
• when anofeles sits, his body is at an angle and the back will be noticeably raised, the body of an ordinary mosquito in a sitting position will be almost parallel to the surface;
• malaria mosquito before landing on the victim’s body, as if dancing in the air, which is what differs from the usual one.

Power Features

The basis of the female malaria mosquito’s nutrition is blood. In this case, a person, mammals and even some invertebrates can become a victim in this case. Females choose their prey according to several criteria:

• the size;
• radiated heat level;
• emitted smell.

They need blood before laying eggs.

The males of the malarial mosquito, and as the observations show even the females, but only under forced circumstances, eat nothing more than pollen and nectar from plants.

On a note! The carbohydrates obtained for the male are quite enough for normal life, but for the female half this diet is not the most acceptable, since they lose their ability to lay eggs.

Symptoms and consequences of bites

An malarial mosquito carries plasmodia, a parasite that causes malaria. Both humans and mammals, and even reptiles, suffer from this disease.The first signs of this disease will be:

• tingling at the site of the bite;
• joint pain;
• intense headaches;
• vomiting
• convulsions;
• chills;
• fever;
• enlarged spleen;
• anemia;
• blood impurities in the urine;
• cerebral ischemia.

The bite of a malaria mosquito is especially dangerous for women during pregnancy and children whose age is less than 5 years. Having bitten the victim, the insect introduces plasmodium into its body, which, after half an hour, reaches the liver, where they develop. Over time, the liver grows in size, and its cells gradually die.

Gradually pathogens destroy red blood cells. As a result, anemia develops, chills and fever begin. Every three days there are hot flashes. And when the parasites get to the vessels of the brain and clog them, death occurs.

The malarial mosquito is dangerous in that it infects about 400 million people every year, and about 1.5 million people die. The inhabitants of Africa suffer the most from this disease - their number is 86%. And the forecasts are disappointing, as it is believed that after 20 years, African mortality from malaria will double.

When a malaria mosquito bites a pregnant woman, it can lead to premature birth, eclampsia and death.

In babies, the following can be observed:

• diarrhea;
• vomiting
• cramps
• abdominal pain;
• chills at the onset of the disease;
• sweating at the end of the development of the disease;
• spots and hemorrhage on the skin;
• the rapid development of anemia.

Symptoms in older children are similar to those of adults. Malaria in children is a particularly dangerous case. Fatal outcome in such situations is often observed, especially at the age of 6 months to 5 years. In this case, the most striking symptom is paroxysm, with malaria in children is absent.