''Lutzia fuscana'' is a

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

that is

predatory Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

in its

larval A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The l ...

stages.Thomas V. Gaffigan, Richard C. Wilkerson, James E. Pecor, Judith A. Stoffer and Thomas Anderson. 2016. "Lutzia » Metalutzia » fuscana (Wiedemann)" in ''Systematic Catalog of Culicidae'',

Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit ("WRBU") is a US Army organization that conducts laboratory and field research on the systematics of medically important arthropods in support of epidemiological investigations and disease prevention and control ...

, http://www.mosquitocatalog.org/taxon_descr.aspx?ID=21781, accessed 27 Mar 2016. It has been investigated as a possible

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

agent, showing some promise where

vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

species share limited or specific breeding habitat.Mihir Kumar Pramanik and Gautam Aditya. 2009. Immatures of ''Lutzia fuscana'' (Wiedemann, 1820) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Rice Fields: Implications for Biological Control of Vector Mosquitoes. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, 2(3):29-34; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261510733_Immatures_of_Lutzia_fuscana_Wiedemann_1820_Diptera_Culicidae_in_Rice_Fields_Implications_for_Biological_Control_of_Vector_Mosquitoes.

Bionomics

Immature forms of ''Lutzia fuscana'' have been collected from swamps, marshes, bogs, rice fields, ditches, grassy pools, rock and flood pools, stream pools and margins, tree holes and stump holes, crab holes, artificial containers, and tire depressions. Rattanarithikul R, Harrison BA, Panthusiri P, et al. 2005. Illustrated keys to the mosquitoes of Thailand 1. Background; Geographic Distribution; Lists of Genera, Subgenera, and Species; and a Key to the Genera. ''Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health'', 36(Supplement 1): 1-80; http://www.tm.mahidol.ac.th/seameo/journal_36_1_2005_spp.html. In the laboratory, ''Lutzia fuscana'' larvae demonstrated a feeding preference for ''

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs ...

'' larvae, with ''

Anopheles stephensi ''Anopheles stephensi'' is a primary mosquito vector of malaria in urban India and is included in the same subgenus as ''Anopheles gambiae'', the primary malaria vector in Africa. ''A. gambiae'' consists of a complex of morphologically identical ...

'' and ''

Culex quinquefasciatus ''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...

'' larvae of lower preference, consuming an average of 5-19 larvae per day. The species has been found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mariana Islands, Micronesia (Wake Island), Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor, and Vietnam.

Medical importance

Newly emerged adults of ''Lutzia fuscana'' fed on canaries infected with ''

Plasmodium cathemerium ''Plasmodium'' is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of ''Plasmodium'' species involve development in a Hematophagy, blood-feeding insect host (biology), host which then inj ...

'' and '' P. capisirina'' were found to be positive for plasmodia at 6 & 1/2 to 8 & 1/2-days post-infection.Andres M. Nono. 1932. Avian Malaria Studies, VI. Susceptibility of ''Lutzia fuscana'' (Wiedemann) Edwards to Avian Malaria. ''Philippine Journal of Science'', 49(2): 225-229; http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19331000020.html;jsessionid=C248D95A93AB9AD3A4FB36D9704E8DBA.

References

Culicinae Insects described in 1820 {{Culicidae-stub