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Scientific name for mosquito

Each mosquito species has a Latin scientific name, such as Anopheles quadrimaculatus. Anopheles is the "generic" name of a group of closely related mosquitoes and quadrimaculatus is the "species" name that characterizes a group of individuals that are similar in structure and physiology and capable of interbreeding.

These names are used in a descriptive manner so that the name tells something about each particular mosquito, for example, Anopheles - Greek meaning hurtful or prejudicial and quadrimaculatus - Latin meaning four spots (4 dark spots on the wings). Some species have what are called "common names" as well as scientific names, such as Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus, the "black salt marsh mosquito."

The Name "Mosquito" scientific?

The Spanish called the mosquitoes, "musketas," and the native Hispanic Americans called them "zancudos." "Mosquito" is a Spanish or Portuguese word meaning "little fly" while "zancudos," a Spanish word, means "long-legged." The use of the word "mosquito" is apparently of North American origin and dates back to about 1583. In Europe, mosquitoes were called "gnats" by the English, "Les moucherons" or "Les cousins" by French writers, and the

Germans used the name "Stechmucken" or "Schnacke." They called mosquitoes a variety of names in Scandanavian countries including "myg" and "myyga" while the Greeks called them "konopus." In 300 B.C., Aristotle referred to mosquitoes as "empis" in his "Historia Animalium" where he documented their life cycle and metamorphic abilities. Modern writers used the name Culex and it is retained today as the name of a mosquito genus. What is the correct plural form of the word mosquito? In Spanish it would be "mosquitos", but in English "mosquitoes" (with the "e") is correct.

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Comments

2010-05-19 the info was interesting but not quite enuf... thnx tho! :-)
by unanimous
2009-09-18 Wow, thats some info, thanks. I absolutely loved all the facts that i found out for my science assignment, it was great!
by Borris Mcdonald
2007-10-02 it was very helpful for biology
by justin f

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