Culex is a genus of mosquitoes that generally serves as a vector for spreading diseases to birds, humans, and many different animals. This topic is from Chapter 8: ‘Human Health and Diseases.’ Apart from being an important topic for Class 12, this topic is also important for different entrance-level exams.

We will discuss every detail of the Culex mosquito, starting from the Culex mosquito life cycle to the disease caused by the Culex mosquito in this article, along with some FAQs. This topic is full of facts and should be memorised and revised frequently to remember all the facts. Studying this topic will also help students understand the whole chapter accurately.

Culex Mosquito

Culex Mosquito has a size of around 4-10 mm. The body is divided into the head, thorax, and abdomen. The forewings are present in the abdomen region, and the second pair of wings is modified to halteres. Culex mosquito identification is important for the control of the disease. The first identification is based on whether the mosquito is anopheline or culicine. The proboscis of a mosquito is the main part involved in sucking blood from the host.

Culex Mosquito Diagram

Hierarchy Classification

Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Arthropoda
Class - Insecta
Order - Diptera
Family - Culicidae
Subfamily - Culicinae
Genus - Culex

Culex Mosquito Life Cycle

The life cycle of Culex mosquitoes is divided into 4 stages.

The first stage is the egg stage. Adult female mosquitoes lay eggs on the surface of fresh or stagnant water like barrels, ponds, unmaintained swimming pools, and marshy areas. The female Culex mosquito can lay 100-300 eggs one at a time, sticking together and floating on water.
The second stage is the larval stage. Larvae hatch from mosquito eggs, live in water, and are very active. Larvae shed their skin (moult) several times during this stage and feed on various things found in the water.
The third stage is the pupa stage. Pupae also live in water, and as they do not have external mouthparts, they do not feed during this stage. An adult mosquito emerges from the pupa stage.
The fourth stage is the adult stage. Adult female mosquitoes bite people and animals as they need blood to produce eggs. After feeding on blood, female mosquitoes lay eggs in water. It takes several days to feed and look for a place to lay eggs. They bite human beings only when other animals are not present near them. Since Culex bites animals and people, they live outdoors or near homes, dirty water, garbage areas, and dirty places.

Culex Mosquito Life Cycle

Disease Caused by Culex Mosquito

There is a list of diseases caused by Culex mosquitoes. Arbovirus infections transmitted by various species of Culex include West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, and Western and Eastern equine encephalitis. It is also under investigation if Culex species transmit the Zika virus. Nematode infections, mainly in the form of filariasis, may be borne by Culex mosquitoes and bloodsucking flies. The Culex mosquito causes many viral diseases in birds and horses.

Summary

The Culex mosquito genus is culex and belongs to the kingdom Animalia and phylum Arthropoda. The mosquito's body is divided into 3 regions: the head, thorax, and abdomen. The mosquito has a life cycle of 4 stages, starting from the egg, followed by larvae, pupa, and the adult stage. At adult age, only the mosquito can reproduce and form its offspring. The mosquito causes diseases like encephalitis, West Nile fever, and many more.

This article mentions all the necessary concepts related to Culex mosquitoes. This is an important topic for Class 12 under the chapter ‘Human Health and Diseases,’ and this article would help students understand the given topic. Apart from this, the student should study many other diseases for a better knowledge of the chapter.

Want to read offline? download full PDF here

Download full PDF

Is this page helpful?

FAQs on Culex Mosquito

1. Which mosquito causes the dengue virus?

Dengue virus is spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. The Aedes mosquito has some distinctive characteristics, like having black and white markings on its body. They are known to be active and bite only during the daytime. The two main prominent species transmit viruses: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. These species transmit viruses that cause dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus. Dengue can be transmitted only by female Aedes mosquitoes.

2. Mention the difference between Culex and Anopheles.

The difference between culicine and anopheline are as follows:

Culex	Anopheles
Culex is a genus of mosquito that transmits a variety of parasites.	Anopheles is also a genus of mosquito but causes malaria in animals.
It serves as a vector for diseases like West Nile virus.	It serves as a vector for plasmodium.
Here, the plants only undergo self-pollination.	Here, plants may undergo cross-pollination or self-pollination.
Found in cooler areas.	Found in warmer areas.
Culex bites cause filaria.	Anopheles bites cause malaria.
They lay eggs in clusters on the surface of dirty water.	They lay eggs singly in a horizontal pattern on the surface of clean water.
The eggs are in the shape of a cigar and lack air floats.	The eggs are in the shape of a boat and have lateral air floats.

3. Mention the difference between infectious and non-infectious diseases.

The diseases can be classified into 2 broad categories: infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Infectious diseases are diseases caused by pathogens like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that can easily be transmitted from one person to another. It is also known as a communicable disease. Examples of infectious diseases are the common cold, malaria, flu, ringworm, and many more.

Non-infectious diseases are diseases that cannot be transmitted from one person to another. These diseases are also known as non-communicable diseases. Generally, genetically inherited diseases are examples of non-infectious diseases.