Toxorhynchites rutilus Coquillett, 1896 (Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Toxorhynchites rutilus is one of the largest known species of mosquitoes in North America. Larvae of Toxorhynchites are aquatic predators and prey upon aquatic invertebrates with preference under some circumstances for larvae of other mosquitoes, a characteristic that can contribute to the use of Toxorhynchites mosquitoes as potential biological controls against container-inhabiting mosquitoes (Focks 2007). Larvae of Toxorhynchites can develop in natural containers (e.g., tree holes, plant leaf bases, bamboo, broken stems and internodes) and in artificial man-made containers (e.g., cans, flowerpot saucers, planters, and discarded tires) (Steffan and Evenhuis 1981). Adult females of Toxorhynchites are autogenous and feed only on carbohydrate-rich sources (e.g., nectar, honeydew, and fruit), but not blood which makes them harmless in terms of serving as a vector of pathogens to humans and animals.