The Food‐Habits of Megarhinus
1911; Cambridge Entomological Club; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1155/1911/327256
ISSN1687-7438
Autores Tópico(s)Viral Infections and Vectors
ResumoIn a previous paper discussing the food-habits of mosquitoes I have expressed the opinion that the species of Megarhinus do not suck blood but feed wholly upon the sweets of flowers.-I was fully aware of the statements of some authors that these mosquitoes bite, but for several reasons I was convinced that these assertions are based on faulty observation or misidentification.Indeed I have failed to find any record at first hand of Megarhinus biting.Thus Theobald quotes Captain James that Megarhinus immisericors "bites very severely in southern India, and that its bite is very poisonous.It is known to the natives as the 'Stinging Elephant Mosquito.' " ^It is to be judged from this quotation that Capt.James obtained his information from natives; we can safely put aside such evidence for there is little reason to doubt that, if there is any truth in the statement at all, other large mosquitoes were the real culprits.Later, on information obtained from correspondents, Theobald states of Megarhinus separatus: "They are called 'carapana' and bite very badly in the daytime and at night." ^The truth is that
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