Large mosquito-centipede - a valuable link in the chain of environment

The largest mosquito on earth is the long-legged one. It can be found in thickets in all moist forests and parks located on the banks of water bodies or rivers. In olden times in Russia they were called caramors. Folk folklore mentioned them in proverbs and fairy tales. From here we know the mosquito mosquito, the mosquito that got married, and many characters of fairy tales.

It happens that these long-legged mosquitoes fly into people's homes, and this causes panic. Fortunately, it is not worth worrying, because a large mosquito is an innocuous insect that eats only the nectar of flowers. He does no harm to man or animals. Their voracious larvae eat the decaying remains of plants, so their presence in the puddles formed in the garden is very useful.

They live and reproduce wherever climatic conditions contribute to this. For example, in North Africa a large mosquito reaches a gigantic size - up to ten centimeters. There are a lot of long-legged legs in Europe, there are more species with a length of up to six centimeters. Asian forests and swamps are home to many species of long-legged, very different in size.

In itself, a large mosquito is not large. Its size depends on the length of the legs. Its slightly elongated head contains nineteen small segments that pollinate plants well during nectar feeding. Eyes are very large. There are two of them, but the vision is organized by a mosaic perception, that is, each eye consists of several eyelets that collect the general picture in parts.

The call of moisture is a very important instinct that a large mosquito possesses. As soon as the time comes to lay eggs, the female of the mosquito looks for a reservoir. It can be a pond, and maybe a regular puddle or a tub with water. Eggs are laid directly on the surface of the water. The larvae hatched two weeks later have a respiratory organ in their long tail. In order not to attract birds who like to collect insects from the surface of the water, the larvae of the mosquito-dwarf turn over their heads and, catching their tails for the surface water film, get oxygen for breathing and light for growth. Sensing the danger or the excitement of water, the larvae of the yurko dive to the very bottom of the reservoir, where they feed on plant remains.

Even under favorable conditions, the duration of mosquito life is low. In the summer, the female lives no more than two months, and the male - much less. Females born at the end of summer do not breed. Their task is to accumulate nutrients for a successful wintering. At approach of colds the fertilized female is hammered in a crack and falls asleep before arrival of spring. When the weather conditions become suitable for the life of a mosquito, she wakes up and immediately starts reproducing the offspring, that is, finds a pond and puts her eggs in it. Spring mating does not happen in mosquitoes.

Like other mosquito species, a large mosquito has its value in nature. Its development and reproduction is a very valuable link in the well-established food chain of our habitat.