Mosquito Species Occurring in Maine

Species

WNV Vector

EEE Vector

Bites Humans

Adult Host

Larval Habitat

No.     Gen./
Yr.

Over-

winters

As:

Common Name and Comments

AEDES

cinereus (Meigen)

y

y

Yes

Major pest in wooded or shaded areas

Mammals

Wooded snowmelt pools, semi-permanent bogs and swamps

2-3

Egg

Day and night biter

vexans (Meigen)

y

y

Yes

Major pest

Mammals

Wooded temporary, permanent, semi-permanent pools, open flooded areas

2-3

Egg

Day and night biter

OCHLEROTATUS

abserratus(Felt & Young)

Yes

Common spring pest

Mammals, birds

Snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Day and night biter

atropalpus (Coquillett)

y

Yes

Around breeding areas

Mammals

Rock pools, some artificial containers

1

Egg

Day and night biter

aurifer (Coquillett)

Yes

Around breeding areas

Mammals

Snowmelt pools, swamps, bogs, open marshes

1

Egg

Day and night biter

canadensis (Theobald)

y

y

Yes

Major late spring pest around breeding areas

Mammals, amphibians, reptiles, sometimes birds

Wooded snowmelt pools, flood waters

1-2

Egg

Day and night biter

cantator (Coquillett)

y

Yes

Mammals, birds

Salt marshes, fresh or brackish water

1+

Egg

Day and night biter

communis (DeGeer)

Yes

Mammals, birds

Wooded snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Day and evening biter

decticus (Howard, Dyar and Knab)

Yes

Mammals, birds

Sphagnum, acid bogs

1

Egg

Day and night biter

diantaeus (Howard, Dyar and Knab)

Yes

Wooded areas

Mammals, birds

Wooded snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Morning and evening biter

excrucians (Walker)

Yes

Common spring - summer pest

Mammals, sometimes birds

Wooded snowmelt pools, marshes

1-2

Egg

Day and evening biter

fitchii (Felt & Young)

Yes

Common spring - summer pest in wooded areas

Mammals, birds

Snowmelt pools, bogs, grassy roadside ditches

1

Egg

Day and night biter

hendersoni (Cockerell)

Yes

Mammals

Tree holes, occasionally tires

1-2

Egg

implicatus (Vockeroth)

Yes

Spring pest

Mammals

Wooded snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Day and night biter

intrudens (Dyar)

Yes

Common spring pest

Mammals

Wooded snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Day and night biter

japonicus (Theobald)

y

Yes

Mammals, birds

Tires, artificial containers, tree holes, rock pools

2+

Egg

Day biter

New Record       Portland, ME: June 26, 2001 (K.Foss)

pionips (Dyar)

Rarely

Snowmelt pools

1

Egg

provocans (Walker)

Yes

Early spring

Mammals

Semi-permenent marshes, wooded snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Evening biter

punctor (Kirby)

Yes

Spring

Mammals

Wooded snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Day and night biter

sollicitans (Walker)

y

y

Yes

Major coastal summer pest

Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians

Salt marshes

4+

Egg

“Eastern salt marsh mosquito”

Day and night biter

sticticus (Meigen)

Yes

Major pest around breeding areas

Mammals, birds, reptiles

Flood waters, wooded snowmelt pools

1-2

Egg

Day and evening biter

stimulans (Walker)

y

Yes

Major spring pest

Mammals, birds

Snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Long lived

taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann)

y

y

Yes

Major pest around breeding areas

Birds, mammals

Salt marshes

2+

Egg

“Black salt marsh mosquito”

Day and evening biter

New record for 2002    (M. Holman)

triseriatus (Say)

y

Yes

Common summer pest around breeding areas

Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians

Tires, artificial containers, tree holes

1

Egg

“Tree hole mosquito”

Day and evening biter

trivittatus (Coquillett)

y

y

Yes

Common summer pest around breeding areas

Mammals, birds

Wooded snowmelt pools

1

Egg

Day and evening biter

ANOPHELES

earlei (Vargas)

Yes

Common spring pest

Mammals

Confined bodies of water

1-2

Adult

Day and night biter

punctipennis (Say)

y

Yes

Major summer pest

Mammals, birds

Confined and flowing bodies of water, artificial containers

2-3

Adult

“Spotted-winged Mosquito”

Day and night biter

quadrimaculatus (Say)

 >

y

Yes

Common summer pest

Mammals, sometimes birds and reptiles

Confined bodies of water

2-3

Adult

Common “Malaria Mosquito”

 Day and night biter

walkeri (Theobald)

y

Yes

Mammals

Confined bodies of water

2+

Egg

Day and night biter

COQUILLETTIDIA

perturbans (Walker)

y

y

Yes

Major summer pest

Birds, mammals, amphibians, sometimes reptiles

Marshes

1-2

Larva

Larvae attach to base of aquatic plants

Day and night biter

CULEX

pipiens (Linnacus)

y

Rarely

Birds

Artificial containers, grassy roadside ditches, catch basins

1-2

Adult

“Northern house mosquito”

restuans (Theobald)

y

Yes

Birds, sometimes mammals

Tires, tree holes, artificial containers, puddles, grassy roadside ditches, catch basins

1-2

Adult

Day and night biter

salinarius (Coquillett)

y

y

Yes

Birds, mammals

Artificial containers, grassy roadside ditches, brackish water, catch basins

1-2

Adult

Night biter, enters homes

territans (Walker)

y

Rarely

Frogs

Ponds, pools, marshes, grassy roadside ditches, artificial containers

1-3

Adult

CULISETA

impatiens (Walker)

Yes

Uncommon early spring species

Mammals

Semipermanent ponds, bogs, wooded ground pools

1

Adult

Long lived, rare

Day and evening biter

inornata (Williston)

y

Yes

Uncommon early spring species

Mammals

Wooded snowmelt pools, marshes, bogs, swamps

2+

Adult

“Winter mosquito”

melanura (Coquillett)

y

y

Rarely

Birds

Within stumps in acidic swamps and bogs, snowmelt pools

2+

Larva

minnesotae (Barr)

Rarely

Birds, small mammals, turtles

Snowmelt pools, marshes

1-2

Adult

New Record for 2001   (M. Holman)

morsitans (Coquillett)

Rarely

Birds

Semi-permanent swamps, wooded snowmelt pools, marshes, bogs

1

Egg

PSOROPHORA

ferox (Humboldt)

y

Yes

Within wooded areas

Uncommon species

Mammals

Wooded temporary ground pools, flood-water areas

1

Egg

“White-footed woods mosquito”

Day and evening biter

New Record for 2001    (M. Holman)

URANOTAENIA

sapphirina (Osten Sacken)

y

Rarely

Summer species

Permanent and semipermanent ponds, pools, swamps, marshes

1-2

Adult

New Record Portland, ME July 24, 2001 (K. Foss)

WYEOMYIA

smithii (Coquillett)

Never

Sphagnum bogs

1

Larva

“Pitcher plant mosquito”

Spends most of year as larvae