ID#: 9257
Caption:
This 2006 photograph depicted a female, Aedes aegypti mosquito, from a left lateral perspective, while she was in the process of acquiring a blood meal from her human host. The feeding apparatus consisted of a sharp, orange-colored stylet. When not feeding, the stylet would be covered in a soft, pliant sheath, known as the labellum, which was shown here, retracted exposing the sharp stylet. The orange color of the stylet was due to the red color of the blood, as it migrated up the thin, sharp translucent tube. Note how her distended abdomen exhibited a red coloration, as it filled with the insect’s blood meal. The mosquito was expelled excess blood from the distal tip of her abdomen, which you are able to see on the far right, on the host’s skin surface.
High Resolution: Click here for hi-resolution image (10.86 MB)
Content Provider(s): CDC/ Prof. Frank Hadley Collins, Dir., Cntr. for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, Univ. of Notre Dame
Creation Date: 2006
Photo Credit: James Gathany
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Copyright Restrictions: None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions.