History & Records

Photos: Giant mosquito with wing of over 4 inches found in China

Published

6 years ago

April 25, 2018

A giant mosquito with a wing span of more than four inches and ten times longer than an average mosquito has been found in China.

The super-sized mosquito belongs to the Holorusa mikado species, the largest mosquito family in the world.

With a five cm long body and a wing span of 11.15cm, the mosquito is ten times longer than an average mosquito.

The insect is also a third longer than the average holorusia mikado species.

Sun News UK reports that Zhao Li, curator of the Insect Museum of West China discovered the giant mosquito last August in Qincheng Mountain, within the Sichuan province.

But he wanted to take his time and confirm that it really was the largest mosquito in the world before revealing the staggering discovery.

He told South China Morning Post:

“These mosquitoes look horrendous, but do not feed on blood.

“The adults have a life span of only a few days and mainly feed on nectar.

“There are tens of thousands of types of mosquitoes in the world.

“Barely 100 species feed on blood and may be a problem for humans.”

The mosquito is set to go on display at the museum in China next month.

This is not the first time Zhao has caught a supersized insect. Last year he found a female stick insect measuring 25 inches long, SunNews UK reports.