Blog Post #5: An Interesting Find

 

In this image above you will see two mosquitos. On the left, is a regular old Culiseta melanura. The mosquito on the right is one of the largest known mosquito species found in Northeastern America. It's scientific name is Psorophora ciliata, and this species is more commonly known by its' unofficial name: the "Gallinipper". The Gallinipper is a rather menacing looking insect, especially considering its size in comparison to a normal mosquito. That thing is a monster!! I want to make this abundantly clear, the mosquito on the left is an average sized mosquito (for size reference). Imagine the mosquito on the right biting you. I mean look at the proboscis on that thing!

What makes this find unique is trapping Gallinippers is a rare occurrence. In fact, this was the first one ever trapped by the Vermont State Agency of Agriculture. They are rarely found in the traps we use-- gravid traps, CDC traps, or resting boxes (for more info on traps, checkout some of my other blog posts that go into more depth)-- and are typically collected using a drag net or while in their larval stage. 

I once heard a funny story about a Gallinipper larvae. A biologist had just collected about ten mosquito larvae from the field. This biologist was going to rear these larvae to then identify the sample once fully matured. He set up the larvae in a rearing chamber and went home for the weekend. When he returned to the lab the following Monday, he had come to find that all but one mosquito larvae was left. The rest had disappeared without a trace. As it turns out, the lone mosquito larvae left was that of a Gallinipper. 

Can you guess what happened? The reason for why there was only one larvae left is quite simple. While in the larval stage of their life cycle, the gallinipper is in fact a cannibal. A gallinipper larvae will feed on other mosquito larvae as it matures into a pupae and full grown mosquito. 

So, finding this mosquito was pretty cool because it really is such a unique insect. I'd like to hope finding this mosquito continues to be a challenge, because swarms of Gallinippers sounds like a nightmare!

Cheers!