Mosquito-control
Guides
Anax longipes
Comet Darner
Anax longipes, commonly known as the Comet Darner, is a dragonfly species in the family Aeshnidae. It is a common North American species with a distinctive appearance and migratory behavior. Adults are large, powerful fliers that prey on other insects in flight. The species is part of the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership monitoring program due to its seasonal movements.
Buenoa
backswimmer
Buenoa is a genus of backswimmers (family Notonectidae) established by George Willis Kirkaldy in 1904 to accommodate Western Hemisphere species formerly placed in Anisops. The genus is distinguished from Anisops by males having a two-segmented front tarsus, versus one-segmented in the latter genus. Buenoa contains 69 described species distributed across the Americas. Members are aquatic predators inhabiting diverse freshwater and saltwater environments.
Erythemis collocata
Western pondhawk
Erythemis collocata, the western pondhawk, is a dragonfly in the family Libellulidae native to western North America. Adults are predatory, specializing in capturing flying insects. The species has been documented feeding on the western malaria mosquito (Anopheles freeborni), particularly at dusk when these mosquitoes form mating swarms. It employs both active pursuit and sit-and-wait hunting strategies.
Hydrochara
water scavenger beetles
Hydrochara is a genus of water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae) containing 23 species distributed across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The genus was revised taxonomically in 1980, with 21 species recognized at that time and multiple synonymies established. Species in this genus are aquatic and have been studied for their potential role in biological control of mosquito larvae. At least one species, Hydrochara rickseckeri, is endemic to California.
Hydrophorus
Hydrophorus is a genus of long-legged flies in the family Dolichopodidae, distinguished by their ability to move across and jump from water surfaces without penetrating the surface film. These small predatory flies exhibit specialized locomotor adaptations for aquatic surface environments, including elongated middle and hind legs used for propulsion during jumping. They are part of a diverse family of metallic, predatory flies that occupy varied habitats from terrestrial foliage to aquatic margins.
Notonecta hoffmani
Notonecta hoffmani is an aquatic predatory bug in the family Notonectidae, commonly known as backswimmers. The species has been studied for its functional response to prey availability, showing measurable preferences among alternative prey types. Like other Notonecta species, it swims inverted using its keel-shaped dorsum and modified hind legs. Research indicates its predatory efficiency on mosquito larvae is influenced by the presence of competing prey sources.
Notonecta indica
backswimmer
Notonecta indica is a predatory aquatic true bug in the family Notonectidae, commonly known as backswimmers. The species has been documented in eastern Jamaica where it preys on mosquito larvae, particularly Aedes aegypti, with consumption rates increasing exponentially through nymphal development. Adults consume approximately 38 mosquito larvae daily under laboratory conditions. The species occurs across a broad geographic range including the Caribbean, Central America, North America, Oceania, and South America. Development from egg to adult takes approximately 36 days under warm conditions, with shorter development times than temperate backswimmer species attributed to higher temperatures and food availability.
Notonecta irrorata
backswimmer
Notonecta irrorata is a North American backswimmer species first described in 1879. It is a predatory aquatic insect known for its distinctive upside-down swimming posture. Research has demonstrated that its presence in ponds repels oviposition by Culex mosquitoes, and that its colonization patterns show a hump-shaped relationship with habitat isolation.
Ochlerotatus triseriatus
eastern treehole mosquito, treehole mosquito
Ochlerotatus triseriatus, the eastern treehole mosquito, is a container-breeding mosquito native to North America. It is the primary enzootic vector of La Crosse virus, the leading cause of arboviral encephalitis in children in the United States. Larvae develop in natural tree holes and artificial water-holding containers, feeding on microbial communities associated with decaying organic matter. The species exhibits strong density-dependent survival, with larval crowding significantly reducing per-capita survival rates—a trait that has important implications for mosquito control strategies.