Mosquito body
Like all insects, the mosquito has three basic body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen.
Mosquito body part - Head: This is where all the sensors and the biting apparatus are located. The head consists of two compound eyes, antennae to sense chemicals and the mouth parts called the palpus and the proboscis (only in females).
Mosquito body part - Thorax - This segment is where the two wings and six legs attach. It contains the flight muscles, compound heart and nerve cell ganglia and trachioles.
Mosquito body part - Abdomen - This segment contains the digestive and excretory organs.
Mosquitoes are similar to flies in that they have two wings, yet unlike flies, their wings have scales. Their legs are also longer than those of flies, and the female mosquitoes have a long mouth part (proboscis) used for piercing the skin of their prey.
Mosquito body part - The Sensors
The head of the mosquito contains different sensors which aid the female in finding a host:
Chemical sensors: These sensors enable mosquitoes to find their prey as they can detect carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to 100 feet away. Mammals and birds give off these gases when they breathe. Certain chemicals in sweat also attract mosquitoes.
Visual sensors - Wearing clothing that contrasts with the background and even moving while wearing that clothing, helps mosquitoes see you and target you as their next prey. If you are moving, they know you are alive, and thus full of the blood they need.
Heat sensors - Mosquitoes can detect heat. These special sensors help them find warm-blooded humans and/or animals when they are within a certain proximity.
Mosquitoes have slender bodies, divided in three, with six long, and delicate legs. "These allow it to make a soft, silent landing on prey."- ( Mosquitoes, Enid Broderick Fisher ) They have two wings, unlike other flies, that usually have four. It is not always so evident though, because the mosquitoes' wings are covered with scales.
The mosquito is divided into three parts, the head, thorax, and abdomen, much like the grasshopper, or fly is. The head consists of two huge compound eyes, that have numerous lenses all pointed in a different direction. The head has two antennae, which act as "feelers" on the mosquitoes, also helping it sense it's direction. The mouth looks like a tube-like funnel, called the proboscis, which extends down. It is used to "bite" and sip juices. It is really like a straw.
The head connects to the thorax with a very thin and short neck. The thorax is shaped somewhat like a triangle, with flat scales forming patterns that can be used by scientists to identify the mosquito. It has strong inner muscles, with six legs coming out. Each leg has a pair of tiny claws, which help to balance the mosquito when climbing, or hanging upside-down on a ceiling.
The wings are located on the thorax. The abdomen is like a long and slender tube. Some mosquitoes have a pointed or rounded end, which also help scientists to identify types of species. There are spiracles along the side of the body which the mosquito breathes through. The abdomen has eight pairs of spiracles, while the thorax has only two. The air flows in through these spiracles and gets to the whole body by way of tubes. Most mosquitoes are from one-eight to one-forth of an inch long. (Three to six millimeters.) The mosquito's wings beat at about 500 to 1,000 times per second, which is extremely fast!
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