An insect expert claimed to have caught the world's largest mosquito with an astonishing 11.15cm (4.4in) wing span - about 10 times longer than that of an average mosquito.
The massive insect was caught on Qingcheng Mountain in south-west China's Sichuan Province.
The mosquito was discovered by Chinese entomologist Zhao Li during a field inspection in August, 2017.
Mr Zhao said the insect belonged to a species called holorusia mikado, which is the world's largest mosquito species originating in Japan.
When he first caught the mosquito, he thought it was extraordinarily big. However, he has only recently confirmed it to be the largest mosquito in the world.
Mr Zhao said a normal holorusia mikado's wing span is about 8cm (3.1in) - nearly a third shorter than the one caught by Mr Zhao.
He added that the holorusia mikado mosquitoes found in China's Sichuan Province are in general larger than those found in Japan.
Although the insect appears to look like a crane fly - which is thought to be different from a mosquito in the West - Mr Zhao insisted that the insect he found was a mosquito.
Mr Zhao, who is a senior biological engineer and senior wild animal protection engineer, said crane fly is the name given to the entire insect family of Tipulidae, which in Chinese translates into 'big mosquito'.
Mr Zhao said from the biological point of view, a mosquito is any insect belonging to the Nematocera insect group. There are seven groups of mosquito, including Tipuloidea and Chironomidae.
Mr Zhao said: 'There are a wide definition and a narrow definition of the mosquito family. Under the narrow definition, only a mosquito that bites is a mosquito.
'Different countries have different ways to call and define insects, but from a biological perspective, holorusia mikados are categorised as mosquitoes.'
Mr Zhao said the life span of a holorusia mikado mosquito is about a week.
The record-breaking mosquito has been turned into a specimen to be displayed in the Insect Museum of West China, of which Mr Zhao is the curator.
Interestingly, Mr Zhao said the monstrous-looking mosquito didn't actually bite people. It supported itself with the nutrition it had taken in as a larva, said Mr Zhao.
The mosquito's specimen is due to be shown to the public during an exhibition about strange insects in the Insect Museum of West China in May.
Mr Zhao has in the past also caught the world's largest insect: a female stick insect measuring 64cm (25in) long - the average length of a young man's arm.
The massive insect was caught on Qingcheng Mountain in south-west China's Sichuan Province.
The mosquito was discovered by Chinese entomologist Zhao Li during a field inspection in August, 2017.
Mr Zhao said the insect belonged to a species called holorusia mikado, which is the world's largest mosquito species originating in Japan.
When he first caught the mosquito, he thought it was extraordinarily big. However, he has only recently confirmed it to be the largest mosquito in the world.
Mr Zhao said a normal holorusia mikado's wing span is about 8cm (3.1in) - nearly a third shorter than the one caught by Mr Zhao.
He added that the holorusia mikado mosquitoes found in China's Sichuan Province are in general larger than those found in Japan.
Although the insect appears to look like a crane fly - which is thought to be different from a mosquito in the West - Mr Zhao insisted that the insect he found was a mosquito.
Mr Zhao, who is a senior biological engineer and senior wild animal protection engineer, said crane fly is the name given to the entire insect family of Tipulidae, which in Chinese translates into 'big mosquito'.
Mr Zhao said from the biological point of view, a mosquito is any insect belonging to the Nematocera insect group. There are seven groups of mosquito, including Tipuloidea and Chironomidae.
Mr Zhao said: 'There are a wide definition and a narrow definition of the mosquito family. Under the narrow definition, only a mosquito that bites is a mosquito.
'Different countries have different ways to call and define insects, but from a biological perspective, holorusia mikados are categorised as mosquitoes.'
Mr Zhao said the life span of a holorusia mikado mosquito is about a week.
The record-breaking mosquito has been turned into a specimen to be displayed in the Insect Museum of West China, of which Mr Zhao is the curator.
Interestingly, Mr Zhao said the monstrous-looking mosquito didn't actually bite people. It supported itself with the nutrition it had taken in as a larva, said Mr Zhao.
The mosquito's specimen is due to be shown to the public during an exhibition about strange insects in the Insect Museum of West China in May.
Mr Zhao has in the past also caught the world's largest insect: a female stick insect measuring 64cm (25in) long - the average length of a young man's arm.
Music: "Danger Storm" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Insect Muesum of West China, Daily Mail
Comments
Post a Comment