Field technician update: Amphibian host mosquito

 Work has been very good and I am having a lot of fun doing my job. I get the privilage of driving around the beautiful area of Cape Cod and collecting lots of mosquitoes. My work has been very beneficial to the public health of Massachusetts because CCMCP submits mosquitoes for disease testing each week. Still to this week in Cape Cod, there have been no reported cases of positive mosquitoes for Eastern Equine Encephalitis or West Nile Virus. Also, this past week I got to see one of the more rarely seen mosquito in my CDC light trap. This species of mosquito usual host preference is amphibians like frogs and salamaders, but somehow it ended up in my trap. It has magnificent blue and purple iridescent scales on the side of the thorax and top of the head. These are the most distinct features of the mosquito, unlike I've seen before. The species is called Uranotaenia sapphirina. The body of the mosquito has the most stunning colors that I would never have believed to could come from nature! I captured a photo while looking at the specimen under the microscope. 

Hope you enjoy!

David




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