Aedes nigripes (Zett, 1840) is probably the most abundant Arctic mosquito (Vockeroth 1954) and is found all across the Arctic. Its larvae grow rapidly in snowmelt tundra ponds during early summer and the adult females emerge to fiercely seek blood from caribou and other wildlife.
Autogeny (i.e., reproducing without a blood meal) has been documented in this species (Corbett 1964, 1967) although it is unclear if this presumed adaptation to low blood-meal density is present in all populations (Culler, pers. obs.).
In Greenland, the timing of pond thaw in spring strongly predicts its emergence time, and the number of immatures that survive to the adult stage depends on pond temperature and mortality from beetle predators (Culler et al. 2015). –L. Culler
References and links:
- Corbet, P.S. 1964. Autogeny and oviposition in Arctic mosquitoes. Nature 669.
- Corbet, P.S. 1967. Facultative autogeny in arctic mosquitoes. Nature 215:662-663.
- Culler, LE et al. 2015. In a warmer Arctic, mosquitoes avoid
increased mortality from predators by growing faster. Proceedings of the Royal
Society B. 282: 20151549 - Vockeroth, J.R. 1954. Notes on the identities and distributions of Aedes species of
northern Canada, with a key to the females (Diptera: Culicidae). Canadian
Entomologist 86:241-255. - Why Giant Mosquitoes Are Suddenly Swarming Greenland
- Why the Arctic’s Big Mosquito Problem Is Getting a Lot Worse
- Arctic Mosquitoes Are Growing Faster With Rising Temperatures