Anopheles stephensi Mosquito, Malaria Vector
Crouching forward and downward on her forelegs, this image depicts a lateral view of a feeding female Anopheles stephensi mosquito. This specimen had landed on a human skin surface, and was in the process of obtaining its blood meal through its sharp, needle-like labrum, which it had inserted into its human host. Note the red color of the labrum, as it was filled with blood, and the bent, retracted labium, which ensheaths the sharp labrum when it's not in use. Also note the red-colored abdomen that had become enlarged due to its blood meal contents, so full, in fact, that droplets of blood had been expelled from its distal tip. A. stephensi is a known vector for the parasitic disease malaria.
Size: 4500px × 2980px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: anopheles, arthropod, contagion, contagious, culicidae, diptera, disease, epidemiology, feeding, female, fever, infectious, insect, insect-borne, malaria, malarial, mosquito, mosquito-borne, mosquitoe, mosquitoe-borne, mosquitoes, mosquitos, parasite, parasitic, pathogen, pathogenic, science, stephensi, subtropical, tropical, vector, zoological, zoology
