Difference Between Aedes Anopheles and Culex Mosquito

The key difference between Aedes Anopheles and Culex mosquito is that Aedes is the insect vector that spreads dengue fever, whereas Anopheles is the insect vector that spreads malaria fever, and Culex is the insect vector that spreads Japanese encephalitis.

Mosquitoes are harmful insects. Basically, they are insect vectors. They make people sick from viruses. From the point of view of human health, Aedes, Anopheles and Culex are three important genera of mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting pathogenic parasites from one person to another person, spreading deadly diseases.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Aedes Mosquito
3. What is Anopheles Mosquito
4. What is Culex Mosquito
5. Similarities Between Aedes Anopheles and Culex Mosquito
6. Side by Side Comparison – Aedes vs Anopheles vs Culex Mosquito in Tabular Form
7. Summary

What is Aedes Mosquito?

Aedes is a genus of mosquitoes that cause several diseases including dengue fever, yellow fever, zika virus and chikungunya. Their life-cycle consists of four stages: eggs, larvae, pupa and adult. They lay eggs in freshwater. Eggs are spindle-shaped and lack air floats. Larvae are eight segmented and float obliquely to the surface of the water. Moreover, the pupa is colourless.

Figure 01: Aedes Mosquito

Adult mosquito makes a less sound when flying compared to Anopheles. Their wings have black and white bands. Furthermore, adult mosquito’s resting position is more or less parallel. Most importantly, Aedes mosquitoes are day biters.

What is Anopheles Mosquito?

Anopheles is a genus of mosquitoes that cause malaria in human beings. Anopheles mosquitoes lay eggs in freshwater, similar to Aedes. But, their eggs are boat-shaped and have air floats. Larvae float horizontally to the surface of the water. Furthermore, larvae have eight segments. The pupa is green in colour.

Figure 02: Anopheles Mosquito

Adult mosquitoes have a 45-degree angle in their resting position. Moreover, black and white bands are absent in their wings. Anopheles mosquitoes make a peculiar sound when flying. These mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. They are active during the night time as well.

What is Culex Mosquito?

Culex is another genus of mosquitoes that is important from the point of view of human health. They cause several diseases to human, including West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis and filariasis. Culex mosquitoes lay eggs in polluted water. Their eggs are cigar-shaped and lack air floats. Larvae float obliquely to the surface of the water. The pupa is colourless.

Figure 03: Culex Mosquito

The resting position of adult mosquitoes is more or less parallel. They have a longer siphon, which is lighter in colour. Their body also hairy compared to Aedes. Their wings do not have black and white bands. Moreover, Culex mosquito does not make a sound when flying. They are most active at dawn and dusk. They are also active during the night.

What are the Similarities Between Aedes Anopheles and Culex Mosquito?

• They are insect vectors.
• All three types of mosquitoes have four stages in their life: namely egg, larva, pupa and adult.
• They lay eggs in water.

What is the Difference Between Aedes Anopheles and Culex Mosquito?

Aedes, Anopheles and Culex are mosquito genera that transmit diseases. Aedes mosquitoes cause dengue fever, yellow fever, zika virus and chikungunya. Anopheles mosquitoes cause malaria fever, while Culex mosquitoes cause West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis and filariasis. So, this is the key difference between Aedes Anopheles and Culex mosquito.

The below infographic provides more comparisons related to the difference between Aedes Anopheles and Culex mosquito.

Summary – Aedes Anopheles vs Culex Mosquito

Although most mosquitoes are just nuisance mosquitoes, several genera cause diseases in human beings. Aedes, Anopheles and Culex are three such mosquito genera that transmit diseases. Aedes mosquitoes cause dengue fever, yellow fever, zika virus and chikungunya. Anopheles mosquitoes cause malaria fever while Culex mosquitoes cause West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis and filariasis. So, this is the key difference between Aedes Anopheles and Culex mosquito.

Reference:

1. “Life History of Mosquito (With Diagram).” Biology Discussion, 5 Nov. 2016, Available here.
2. “Aedes.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 July 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1.”Aedes aegypti feeding” By Muhammad Mahdi Karim – Own work (GFDL 1.2) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Anopheles stephensi” By Jim Gathany – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Image Library (PHIL) (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
3. “CPipFm” By US Centers for Disease Control – City of Jacksonville, FL, obtained from US Centers for Disease Control public database (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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