Non-vertebrate-host
Guides
Uranotaenia sapphirina
Sapphire-striped Mosquito
Uranotaenia sapphirina is a mosquito species notable as the first documented mosquito specializing on non-vertebrate hosts. Females feed primarily on annelids including earthworms and leeches rather than vertebrate blood, a feeding strategy unique among mosquitoes. The species occurs across eastern North America from Canada to Florida and west to Texas, with additional records in Mexico and the Caribbean. Adults overwinter and larvae develop in semi-permanent and permanent wetlands with abundant vegetation.