Plant-piercing-respiration
Guides
Coquillettidia perturbans
Cattail Mosquito
Coquillettidia perturbans is a mosquito species with a broad intercontinental distribution spanning Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. It is a documented vector of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus and West Nile virus, with particular significance in disease ecology due to its ability to fly long distances and feed on large mammals including humans. The species exhibits a distinctive larval adaptation: specialized siphons that pierce aquatic plant aerenchyma to obtain oxygen, allowing larvae and pupae to remain submerged and avoid surface predators and insecticides.