The mosquitos are insects which make up the family Culicidae.
They have a pair of scaled wings, a pair of halteres, a slender
body, and long legs. The females of most mosquito species suck
blood (hematophagy) from other animals, which has made them one of
the most deadly disease vectors known to man, killing millions of
people over thousands of years and continuing to kill millions per
year by the spread of diseases.
Both male and female mosquitos are nectar feeders, but the
female is also capable of haematophagy (drinking blood). Females do
not require blood for survival, but they do need supplemental
protein for the development and laying of their eggs. Prior to
sucking the blood, they inject a mild painkiller, which numbs the
host to the pain from the "bite" (Note: mosquitos do not actually
bite). The Toxorhynchites species of mosquito never drinks blood.
This genus includes the largest of the extant mosquitos, the larvae
of which are predatory on the larvae of other mosquitos. These
mosquito eaters have been used in the past as mosquito control
agents, with varying success
In the Spanish language, the word Mosquito (little fly) dates
back to about 1572. The word was adopted to replace the term
"biting flies" to prevent confusion with the house fly. It is
derived from the word fly (Latin musca, cf. Skt maksh) and is
related to the Italian moschetta and the French moustique.
Mosquitoes were originally called "les moucherons" or "les cousins"
by French writers, "Stechmücken" or "Schnaken" by Germans, "mygg"
and "mygga" by Scandinavians, and "κώνωψ" (konops) by the ancient
Greeks. The Scandinavian word is related to the Modern Greek word
"μύγα" (myga) for the housefly. The Icelandic "mý" mostly stands
for biting midges or non-biting chironomids, as there are no
mosquitos in Iceland. Aristotle referred to mosquitoes in 300 B.C.
as "empis". == ==
