Do you know which mosquitoes are most commonly observed in Australia?

Mosquitoes are everywhere. We can find them in our backyards, sometimes buzzing around our ears when we try to sleep, biting our legs when we go for a walk, even when we are enjoying a Sunday afternoon picnic by the park. Besides the irritation and public health concerns, they also catch our eyes when displaying their bright colours or pollinating flowers.

There are thousands of mosquito species described in the world, and around 300 are known to occur in the Australasian region. Despite their nuisance impacts in our lives, only about a dozen species play a role in mosquito-borne diseases. Knowing their biology, abundance and distribution is crucial to help environmental and health departments manage the species.

Citizen science projects on mosquito surveillance, like Mozzie Monitors and Zika Mozzie Seeker in Australia, are engaging initiatives that allow the community to notice, learn, help raise data and increase scientific knowledge of mosquito populations as they engage in a hands-on approach.

Mozzie Monitors all over Australia are sharing incredible photos of our mosquito fauna and have registered almost 1,500 observations of over 50 species on iNaturalist. These photos show much more than mosquitoes. They also reveal interactions, distribution and behaviour. On Mozzie Monitors project, you can find fantastic images of blood-fed or feeding mozzies, larvae and eggs in their natural habitats, geographic location where the observations were made and even interactions with plants.

We organised a list with the top 10 mosquito species observed on iNaturalist, in Australia. Check it out!

10 Coquillettidia xanthogaster

Photo: (c) Dianne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/803891-Coquillettidia-xanthogaster

9 Aedes vittiger

Photo: (c) laz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA).
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1112146-Aedes-vittiger

8 Anopheles annulipes

Photo: (c) Geoffrey Cox, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/368702-Anopheles-annulipes

7 Aedes alternans

Photo: (c) debtaylor142, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/700911-Aedes-alternans

6 Culex quinquefasciatus

Photo: (c) Geoffrey Cox, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/155309-Culex-quinquefasciatus

5 Aedes alboannulatus

Photo: (c) iandb, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/793734-Aedes-alboannulatus

4 Aedes vigilax

Photo: (c) Jeannie, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1111828-Aedes-vigilax

3 Toxorhynchites speciosus

Photo: (c) jonandalisha, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/460871-Toxorhynchites-speciosus

2 Aedes camptorhynchus

Photo: (c) frank_prinz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/791192-Aedes-camptorhynchus

1 Aedes notoscriptus

Photo: (c) Stephen Fricker, all rights reserved.
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/407524-Aedes-notoscriptus

The most observed mosquito on iNaturalist, in Australia, is Aedes notoscriptus. This species is very noticeable due to its lyre shape pattern on the scutum. Have you ever seen this mozzie in your backyard?

I wonder which species we will observe during Mozzie Month?

Share your observations of mozzies too on https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/mozzie-monitors-australia?tab=observations

Read more:

• Mozzie Monitors - mozziemonitors.com
• Zika Mozzie Seeker - https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/zika-mozzie-seeker

mozziemonth #mozziemonitors #citizenscience #urbanecology #publichealth #WildOz #inaturalist #SnapB4USlap

Posted on January 29, 2021 06:40 AM by larissabrazsousa