Asian Rock Pool Mosquito - Ochlerotatus japonicus
The pattern on the scutum is distinctive: there are 5 golden striped scales and the lateral scales are pale and white in a lyre shape. It has broad pale basal bands on the hind tarsomeres. The proboscis is dark and unbanded. The abdominal segments have silvery-white transverse bands on the lateral margins, which contrast with the black
abdomen.
This species was accidentally introduced from Japan in the late 1990s. It is an important vector of West Nile Virus, and the females are very aggressive biters.
This mosquito got into my house and is being eaten by my Drosera spatulata.
"Aedes japonicus" was originally described in 1901 from Tokyo, Japan, the island of Honshu being its native range, but is now found in Belgium, China, France, Japan, South Korea, Panama, Spain, Russia, Taiwan, and the contiguous lower 48 United States. It was first recorded in New York and New Jersey in 1998. Its range is expected to eventually include much of North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of Hawaii.
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