What are Cx. tarsalis like?

What are Cx. tarsalis like?

• A. Day biters; WEE, WNV, SLE vectors
• B. Night biters that can fly up to 15 miles; WEE, WNV, SLE vectors
• C. They overwinter as eggs
• D. They are aquatic herbivores and do not bite

Answer: (B)

Cx. tarsalis bites mainly at night, so people are most at risk during the evening and night hours. They also have a relatively long flight range for mosquitoes—dispersal of around 15 miles is possible—allowing viruses to move between bird hosts and humans over large areas. Because of these traits, this species is a known vector for several encephalitis viruses, including Western equine encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, and Saint Louis encephalitis virus. The combination of nocturnal biting and substantial dispersal helps explain why Cx. tarsalis is a key vector in western regions. They do bite and require standing water for larval development; they are not aquatic herbivores, and they don’t overwinter as eggs in the sense described by that choice.

Cx. tarsalis bites mainly at night, so people are most at risk during the evening and night hours. They also have a relatively long flight range for mosquitoes—dispersal of around 15 miles is possible—allowing viruses to move between bird hosts and humans over large areas. Because of these traits, this species is a known vector for several encephalitis viruses, including Western equine encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, and Saint Louis encephalitis virus. The combination of nocturnal biting and substantial dispersal helps explain why Cx. tarsalis is a key vector in western regions. They do bite and require standing water for larval development; they are not aquatic herbivores, and they don’t overwinter as eggs in the sense described by that choice.