Toxorhynchites
Toxorhynchites, also called elephant mosquitoes or mosquito eaters, is a genus of diurnal and often relatively colorful mosquitoes, found worldwide between about 35° north and 35° south. Most species occur in forests. It includes the largest known species of mosquito, at up to in length and in wingspan. It is among the few kinds of mosquito that do not consume blood. The adults subsist on carbohydrate-rich materials, such as honeydew, or saps and juices from damaged plants, refuse, fruit, and nectar.
Mating in mid-air, males and females synchronize their wing beats to the same frequency. Eggs are deposited by flinging them onto water surfaces while hovering. They are either white or yellow in color, with an incubation period of 40–60 hours depending on the temperature. The older the female mosquito, the less likely the eggs will be healthy.
In contrast to blood-sucking species of mosquitoes, their larvae prey on the larvae of other mosquitoes and similar nektonic prey, making Toxorhynchites beneficial to humans. Living on this protein and fat rich diet, females have no need to risk their lives sucking blood in adulthood, having already accumulated the necessary materials for oogenesis and vitellogenesis. The larvae of one jungle variety, Toxorhynchites splendens, consume larvae of other mosquito species occurring in tree crevices, particularly Aedes aegypti.
Environmental scientists have suggested that Toxorhynchites mosquitoes be introduced to areas outside their natural range in order to fight dengue fever. This has been practiced historically, but errors have been made. For example, when intending to introduce T. splendens to new areas, scientists actually introduced T. amboinensis.
An extinct species T. mexicanus is known from Miocene age Mexican amber.
Species
The genus Toxorhynchites is divided into 4 subgenera and contains 90 species also including 1 extinct species:Subgenus ''(Toxorhynchites)''
- Toxorhynchites acaudatus
- Toxorhynchites albipes
- Toxorhynchites amboinensis
- Toxorhynchites angustiplatus
- Toxorhynchites ater
- Toxorhynchites auranticauda
- Toxorhynchites auripes
- Toxorhynchites barbipes
- Toxorhynchites bengalensis
- Toxorhynchites bickleyi
- Toxorhynchites brevipalpis
- Toxorhynchites camaronis
- Toxorhynchites christophi
- Toxorhynchites coeruleus
- Toxorhynchites darjeelingensis
- ''Toxorhynchites dundo''
Subgenus ''(Afrorhynchus)''
- Toxorhynchites aeneus
- Toxorhynchites angolensis
- Toxorhynchites brunhesi
- Toxorhynchites capelai
- Toxorhynchites erythrurus
- Toxorhynchites fontenillei
- Toxorhynchites grjebinei
- Toxorhynchites helenae
- Toxorhynchites kaimosi
- Toxorhynchites lemuriae
- Toxorhynchites lutescens
- Toxorhynchites madagascarensis
- Toxorhynchites nairobiensis
- Toxorhynchites nigeriensis
- Toxorhynchites pauliani
- Toxorhynchites ruwenzori
- Toxorhynchites viridibasis
- Toxorhynchites wolfsi
- ''Toxorhynchites zairensis''
Subgenus ''(Ankylorhynchus'')
- Toxorhynchites catharinensis
- Toxorhynchites hexacis
- Toxorhynchites purpureus
- ''Toxorhynchites trichopygus''
Subgenus ''(Lynchiella)''
- Toxorhynchites bambusicola
- Toxorhynchites cavalierii
- Toxorhynchites gerbergi
- Toxorhynchites grandiosus
- Toxorhynchites guadeloupensis
- Toxorhynchites haemorrhoidalis
- Toxorhynchites hypoptes
- Toxorhynchites mariae
- Toxorhynchites moctezuma
- Toxorhynchites portoricensis
- Toxorhynchites pusillus
- Toxorhynchites rizzoi
- Toxorhynchites rutilus
- Toxorhynchites solstitialis
- Toxorhynchites theobaldi
- Toxorhynchites violaceus
- ''Toxorhynchites caatingensis''