Northern house mosquito

Description

Culex pipiens, commonly referred to as the common house mosquito, is a species of mosquito. House mosquitoes are some of the most common mosquitoes in the United States. More specifically, Culex pipiens is considered as the northern house mosquito, as it is the most common mosquito to the northern regions of the US. North of the 39th parallel north in the US, only C. pipiens are present, whereas south of the 36th parallel north, only C. quinquefasciatus (commonly known as the southern house mosquito) are present.Additionally, they can be found in both urban and suburban temperate and tropical regions across the world. Culex pipiens' diet typically consists of vertebrate blood, as they consume human blood, but prefer bird blood of species that are nearly linked to human interaction, such as doves and pigeons.Furthermore, at the end of the summer and the start of the fall season before it is time for them to overwinter, C. pipiens subsist on nectar and other sugary food sources in order to store fat. In California populations, it was shown that most females of Culex pipiens do not enter reproductive diapause during the winter, which differs from other mosquito species, such as Culex stigmatosoma or Culex tarsalis. Most of them overwinter in a stage of host-seeking arrest.The practice of overwintering tends to vary based on location, and in effect temperature and the period of time per day an organism receives sunlight, also known as the photoperiod. Parous females may overwinter together with nulliparous.Overwintering mosquitoes are considered as hibernating by mosquito scientists. In general, Culex pipiens take on a pale-to-light brown color, and are adorned with lighter stripes on the abdomen. In regards to size, these organisms can range between three and seven millimeters long.C. pipiens can be distinguished by the presence of pale colored bands located on the insect's abdomen. Another distinguishing feature of the species’ appearance is its brown or grey-brown color. C. pipiens can also be characterized by the presence of their proboscis,or the elongated mouthpart that is used for sucking up fluids. This feature, in addition to their wings, are also brown in color, matching the remainder of their body.