Northern Frog-Biting Mosquito

Habitat

Adult female "Culex territans" overwinter in protected, humid, underground environments like caves. In northern Europe, overwintering females are found in caves together with "Culex pipiens", "Culex torrentium", and "Culiseta annulata".

Larvae can be found in clean ponds with plenty of vegetation.

Uses

Since they mainly feed on frogs, they do not pose a direct threat to human health in terms of vectoring pathogens. However, they have been found to be infected with West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus and may occasionally feed on humans, so they can potentially be of public health concern.

Adult female "Cx. territans" have been found to harbor various pathogens such as anuran trypanosomes, ranaviruses, and filarial worms. It has also been shown capable of mechanically transmitting the spores of chytrid fungus between frogs.