Inland floodwater mosquito

Appearance

The adult female has a bandless proboscis, short brown scales on the scutum, and 'B' shaped markings on each abdominal tergite. Only the female takes blood meals, preferring humans and cattle. Males feed on nectar, honeydew, and sap, on which females will also feed, although rarely. They are usually found in association with grassy pools, partially shaded woodland pools, roadside ditches, and cultivated fields.

Uses

''Aedes vexans'' is a known vector of ''Dirofilaria immitis'' ; myxomatosis ; and Tahyna virus, a seldom-diagnosed ''Bunyaviridae'' which affects humans in Europe, causing a fever which disappears after two days, but afterward can cause ''encephalitis'' or ''meningitis''. ''Aedes vexans'' is the most common mosquito in Europe, often comprising more than 80% the European mosquito community. Its abundance depends upon availability of floodwater pools. In summer, up to 8,000 mosquitoes can be collected per trap per night. ''Aedes vexans'' exhibited significantly higher transmission rates of Zika virus than ''Aedes aegypti'', and its wide geographic distribution, periodic extreme abundance, and aggressive human biting behavior increase its potential to serve as a Zika virus vector in northern latitudes outside the range of the primary vectors ''Aedes aegypti'' and ''Aedes albopictus''.