There is a mosquito bigger than my palm?!

Have you ever seen a mosquito bigger than your palm?

Recently, a man checked into a hotel in Guilin and found a huge mosquito that he had never seen before, which instantly refreshed his cognition...

Some netizens also joked that being bitten by such a big mosquito is probably similar to donating blood.

Of course, this is not the first time we have seen similar news. When many netizens see the words "huge mosquitoes", they naturally think of how scary it would be for such a big mosquito to suck blood!

Source: See watermark

So where do these mosquitoes that scare people at first sight come from? Do they really love to suck blood like the mosquitoes we usually see?

Source: www.bingilcg.org

+ A mosquito that is not a big mosquito+

Source: readjack.wordpress.com

In fact, the "big mosquitoes" we see in the wild are usually crone flies, whose English name is crane fly. Although the name also contains the word "mosquito", it is completely different from the mosquitoes of the Culicidae family.

Although they both have balance bars and belong to the order Diptera, they have different mouthparts, habits and life histories.

Source: www.cvmosquito.org

Crane flies are a general term for insects of the superfamily Tipuloidea. As the name suggests, they are super large in size. Compared with ordinary mosquitoes, they are simply XXXXXL enlarged versions.

Crane Fly vs. Mosquitowww.latimes.com

In August 2017, Zhao Li, curator of the Chengdu Huaxi Insect Museum, collected a Holorusia mikado in Qingcheng Mountain in Chengdu. The wingspan of the individual was as high as 11.15 cm, making it a "giant" among the mosquitoes.

Source: Chengdu Huaxi Insect Museum

Source: Xinhuanet

Mosquitoes of this size are of course likely to cause panic among the public, so big mosquitoes often encounter unexpected disasters.

Source: blog.mosquito.buzz

The superfamily Tipuloidea is one of the most primitive groups of Diptera, with about 17,000 species recorded worldwide, including the Tipulidae, Limoniidae, Cylindrotomidae, Trichoceridae and Pediciidae.

Source: www.gardeningknowhow.com

When you look closely at crane flies, the most noticeable thing is their long legs, which are more than twice their body length. In addition, the V-shaped inter-shield slit on their mesothorax is also the most easily discovered feature.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The adult size of the crane fly and the mosquito is very different, and the appearance of the crane fly larvae is also very different. The appearance of the crane fly larvae is, ummm, a bit hard to describe.

They are plump and fleshy, and somewhat similar to fly larvae.

Crane fly larvae Source: content.ces.ncsu.edu

Mosquito eggs and larvae (mosquito larvae)

Crane mosquito larvae often live in moist soil at the roots of plants, in tree holes or in water, feeding on plant roots and humus, and are considered to be silent decomposers in nature.

A small number of larvae are carnivorous, and a few species can harm agricultural production, such as the common rice root maggots and rice flies, which feed on the roots and stems of crops.

Source: content.ces.ncsu.edu

+ The "Buddhist" mosquito that does not suck blood+

Source: www.missoulianangler.com

Although crane flies are large in size, when you see their degenerate mouthparts, you will understand that they are actually very gentle and do not suck blood at all.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The adult crane flies only live for about ten days and usually only feed on nectar and dew.

Source: uwm.edu

What we see most often is that they hang elegantly on the branches of plants, waiting for true love to appear, and then die peacefully after having sex.

Source: Wikipedia

In addition to the crane flies, another insect that is also large and vegetarian is the Toxorhynchites insect of the Culicidae family. They are close relatives of blood-sucking mosquitoes. Not only are they much larger in size, they also have a gorgeous metallic luster.

Source: See watermark

Not only do giant mosquitoes not suck blood, they are also a great helper in killing mosquitoes: the larvae of giant mosquitoes live in stagnant water in tree holes and bamboo tubes, and their food is mosquito larvae (the larvae of blood-sucking mosquitoes).

It has been observed that a larva of the ornate giant mosquito has to prey on more than 100 mosquito larvae before it can pupate into a mosquito. Taking advantage of its nature, the giant mosquito is also used for biological control of the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes and other species.

Image source: inaturalist.org

Although the giant mosquito larvae are carnivorous insects, the adults are vegetarians. They often appear in bamboo forests and feed on nectar. They are truly the epitome of beautiful insects with kind hearts.

Source: Entomology Today

+ The strong mosquito that cut off its legs to protect itself+

The source of the "broken-legged" crane mosquito: www.thoughtco.com

In nature, it is not uncommon for some animals to abandon part of their body and escape when they are forced to do so. For example, we often hear of geckos cutting off their tails to survive. We call this behavior autotomy.

Limb self-mutilation is common among insects. For example, the three pairs of legs of the crane mosquito are prone to self-mutilation. Although "broken limbs" sounds a bit tragic, it does not really endanger the life of the crane mosquito.

Source: bugsirl.blogspot.com

If you encounter these big mosquitoes again in the future, remember that they are actually gentle mosquitoes with a tough appearance and a girly heart. Can you let them go?

Image source: Google Source see watermark

A huge mosquito appeared in Guilin! Have you ever seen a mosquito this big? https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/

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Editor of this issue: Peach Blossom Island Master

Journal of Plant Protection

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