Anopheles
Anopheles (/əˈnɒfɪliːz/) is a genus of mosquito first described by J. W. Meigen in 1818. Its members are sometimes called nail mosquitoes or marsh mosquitoes. Many are vectors of the parasite Plasmodium, which causes malaria in birds, reptiles, and mammals including humans. Anopheles gambiae is the best-known species, as it transmits one of the most dangerous human malarial parasites, Plasmodium falciparum. No other mosquito genus is a vector of human malaria.
| Anopheles | |
|---|---|
| Anopheles stephensi, female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Subfamily: | Anophelinae |
| Genus: | Anopheles Meigen 1818 |
| Species | |
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For a full description, see the main article: Taxonomy of Anopheles | |
The genus diverged from culicine mosquitoes at least 100 million years ago (mya). Like other mosquitoes, its eggs, larvae, and pupae are aquatic. The larva has no respiratory siphon to breathe through, so it feeds with its body horizontal at the water surface. The adult hatches from the surface and feeds on nectar; females also feed on blood, allowing them to carry parasites between hosts. The adult's feeding position is head-down, unlike the horizontal stance of culicines. Anopheles species are distributed nearly worldwide across the tropics, subtropics, and temperate regions. Adults aestivate in hot dry weather, enabling them to survive in hot dry regions like the Sahel.