Hyttyset

This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host through her fascicle, which being transparent, reflected the blood’s red color. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC’s biomedical photographer’s own hand, which he’d offered to the hungry mosquito so that she’d alight, and be photographed while feeding. As it filled with blood, the abdomen became distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging intra-abdominal red mass, as is the case in PHIL# 9175, and 9176.Created: 2006

This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host through her fascicle, which being transparent, reflected the blood’s red color. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC’s biomedical photographer’s own hand, which he’d offered to the hungry mosquito so that she’d alight, and be photographed while feeding. As it filled with blood, the abdomen became distended, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging intra-abdominal red mass.Created: 2006

This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was completing the activity of obtaining a blood-meal from a human host through her fascicle, here red in color due to the blood contained therein, which she’d begun to resheath in her labium. Both structures are part of her feeding organ known as the proboscis. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC’s biomedical photographer’s own hand, which he’d offered to the hungry mosquito so that she’d alight, and be photographed while feeding. As it filled with blood, the abdomen became distended, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging intra-abdominal red mass, as is the case in PHIL# 9175, and 9176.Created: 2006

This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was completing the activity of obtaining a blood-meal from a human host through her fascicle, which she’d begun to resheath in her labium. Both structures are part of her feeding organ known as the proboscis. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC’s biomedical photographer’s own hand, which he’d offered to the hungry mosquito so that she’d alight, and be photographed while feeding. After it filled with blood, the abdomen became distended, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging intra-abdominal red mass.Created: 2006

This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host through her fascicle, which had penetrated the host skin, was reddening in color, reflecting the blood’s coloration through this tubular structure. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC’s biomedical photographer’s own hand, which he’d offered to the hungry mosquito so that she’d alight, and be photographed while feeding. As it filled with blood, the abdomen became distended, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging intra-abdominal red mass, as is the case in PHIL# 9175, and 9176.Created: 2006

This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti as she was about to fly off of a host’s skin surface after having obtained her blood-meal. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC’s biomedical photographer’s own hand, which he’d offered to the hungry mosquito so that she’d alight, and be photographed while feeding. As it filled with blood, the abdomen became distended, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging intra-abdominal red mass. The tip of the sharply-pointed fascicle is visible as a yellow tube, which is about to become concealed inside the labium of her proboscis.Created: 2006

This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host through her fascicle, which had penetrated the host's skin, and was reddening in color, reflecting the blood’s coloration through this tubular structure. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC’s biomedical photographer’s own hand, which he’d offered to the hungry mosquito so that she’d alight, and be photographed while feeding. As it filled with blood, the abdomen became distended, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging intra-abdominal red mass.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process inserting her fascicle through the skin surface of her host. She then proceeded to obtain a "blood meal", which normally would be from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. As it would fill with blood, the abdomen would become distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging red mass. See PHIL # #8923, for this mosquito's appearance in its abdominally-distended state.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of seeking out a penetrable site on the skin surface of its host. She'd then proceed to obtain a "blood meal", which normally would be from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. As it would fill with blood, the abdomen would become distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging red mass. See PHIL # #8923, for this mosquito's appearance in its abdominally-distended state.Created: 2006

Having finished the ingestion of her blood meal, this 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of flying from its human host. See PHIL# 8923 - 8933, depicted her in various feeding phases. Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. Note that her abdomen had become distended due to the fact that her stomach now filled with her blood meal, and how the proboscis' labial sheath was now pulled up, pointing forward, while no longer was the fascicle inserted in the host's skin.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, after having penetrated the skin surface with the sharply-pointed "fascicle". Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. Note that her abdomen had become distended as her stomach was filling with her blood meal, and how the proboscis' labial sheath was in its retracted, pulled back configuration, exposing the inserted, sharp fascicle, which had turned red, as the blood was passing up the straw-like apparatus.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, after having penetrated the skin surface with the sharply-pointed "fascicle". Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. Note that her abdomen had become distended as her stomach was filling with her blood meal, and how the proboscis' labial sheath was in its retracted, pulled back configuration, exposing the inserted, sharp fascicle, which had turned red, as the blood was passing up the straw-like apparatus.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, after having penetrated the skin surface with the sharply-pointed "fascicle". Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. Note that her abdomen is beginning to fill with her blood meal, and will continue to fill, becoming distended as it appears in PHIL #8923, and how the proboscis' labial sheath was in its retracted, pulled back configuration, exposing the inserted, sharp fascicle, which had turned red, as the blood was passing up the straw-like needle-sharp apparatus.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of beginning the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, after having penetrated the skin surface with the sharply-pointed "fascicle". Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. As it would fill with blood, the abdomen would become distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging red mass. See PHIL # #8923, for this mosquito's appearance in its abdominally-distended state.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, after having penetrated the skin surface with the sharply-pointed "fascicle". Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. As it would fill with blood, the abdomen would become distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging red mass. See PHIL # #8923, for this mosquito's appearance in its abdominally-distended state. Note the positioning of the head, and legs, which are closer to the host skin surface, as blood is about to be ingested through the fascicle.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of beginning the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, after having penetrated the skin surface with the sharply-pointed "fascicle". Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. As it would fill with blood, the abdomen would become distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging red mass. See PHIL # #8923, for this mosquito's appearance in its abdominally-distended state.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of beginning the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, after having penetrated the skin surface with the sharply-pointed "fascicle". Normally, this female would be obtaining her blood from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. As it would fill with blood, the abdomen would become distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging red mass. See PHIL # #8923, for this mosquito's appearance in its abdominally-distended state.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of flying away from her host's skin surface, after having had obtained her fill of blood. Normally, blood is obtained from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. Note that the sharply pointed orange-colored "fascicle", was once again ensheathed within the insect's proboscis by the outer soft labium. Its blood meal can be seen inside its distended abdomen, evidenced by the red coloration visible through the stretched, transparent exoskeletal abdominal exterior. See PHIL # #8924, for this mosquito's appearance before the ingestion of its blood meal.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of obtaining a "blood meal", which normally is from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. Note that having penetrated the skin surface with its sharply-pointed fascicle, the feeding mosquito was collecting its blood meal in its distended abdomen, evidenced by the red coloration visible through the stretching, translucent exoskeletal abdominal exterior. See PHIL # #8924, for this mosquito's appearance before the ingestion of its blood meal. If you look carefully, you can also see that the labium, which is the soft tissue sheath that envelopes the sharply-pointed fascicle, had slid up the fascicle, and took on a "kinked" configuration, pointing posteriorly.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of seeking out a penetrable site on the skin surface of its host. She'd then proceed to obtain a "blood meal", which normally would be from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. As it would fill with blood, the abdomen would become distended, thereby, stretching the exterior exoskeletal surface, thereby, causing it to become transparent, and allowing the collecting blood to become visible as an enlarging red mass. See PHIL # #8923, for this mosquito's appearance in its abdominally-distended state.Created: 2006

This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process of obtaining a "blood meal", which normally is from an unsuspecting host, but in this case, the CDC's biomedical photographer, James Gathany, had volunteered his own hand in order to entice the insect to alight, and feed. Note that having penetrated the skin surface with its sharply-pointed fascicle, the feeding mosquito was collecting its blood meal in its distended abdomen, evidenced by the red coloration visible through the stretching, translucent exoskeletal abdominal exterior. See PHIL # #8924, for this mosquito's appearance before the ingestion of its blood meal. If you look carefully, you can also see that the labium, which is the soft tissue sheath that envelopes the sharply-pointed fascicle, had slid up the fascicle, and took on a "kinked" configuration, pointing posteriorly.Created: 2006

This 2005 photograph depicts a female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the primary vector for the spread of Dengue fever. The virus that causes Dengue is maintained in the mosquito’s life cycle, and involves humans, to whom the virus is transmitted when bitten. The female mosquito pictured here, was shown as she was obtaining a blood meal by inserting the feeding stylet through the skin, and into a blood vessel. Blood can be seen being drawn up through the stylet, and into the mosquito’s mouth.Created: 2005

This photograph depicts a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she rests on the skin of a human host while she acquires a blood meal.Created: 1967

This photograph depicts an Anopheles funestus mosquito partaking in a blood meal from its human host. Note the blood passing through the proboscis, which has penetrated the skin, and entered a miniscule cutaneous blood vessel.Created: 2005