Mosquito Larva Under the Microscope
Mosquito Larva (Whole Mount), Culex sp.
This is a whole mosquito larva mounted on a slide, unstained. Mosquito larvae live in water and breathe air through a tube at their tail end, which is why standing water matters for mosquito control.
This whole mount shows the larva of a Culex mosquito, left unstained so its natural color shows. The larva has a rounded head with dark eye spots, a wide thorax, and a long abdomen made of segments with tufts of hairs. Near the tail is a long breathing tube, the siphon, which the larva pushes up through the water surface to get air. Mosquito larvae live in still water, so this slide helps explain why draining standing water helps control mosquitoes.
What to look for
- Head: A rounded front section with dark eye spots and mouth brushes for feeding.
- Thorax: A broad section behind the head, wider than the rest of the body.
- Abdomen: A long, segmented section with tufts of hairs on the sides.
- Breathing siphon: A darker tube near the tail end used to breathe air at the water surface.
- Anal papillae: Small finger-like structures at the tip of the last segment.
Questions and answers
What does a mosquito larva look like under a microscope?
A mosquito larva has a head with feeding brushes, a wide thorax, and a long segmented abdomen with tufts of hairs. Near the tail is a breathing tube, or siphon, that it pokes up through the water surface to get air.
How can you tell Culex and Anopheles larvae apart?
Culex larvae, like this one, have a long breathing siphon and hang at an angle from the water surface. Anopheles larvae have no siphon and lie flat just under the surface.
Compare it
- Category
- Invertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Unstained
Viewing this slide in class
This is a scan of a real prepared slide, not a simulation or a drawing. On StudyScope you can pan from the whole slide down to individual structures, always in focus, and measure them in real micrometers with the calibrated ruler. Present it live and every student screen follows your view and annotations. Students join with a room code on Chromebooks, iPads, or any browser, with no accounts.