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Winter Ecology Speaker Series

Mosquitoes and mosquito-borne arboviruses in Illinois

Andrew Mackay, Associate Scientist – Vector Ecologist at Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Illinois is home to a diverse mosquito fauna, with more than 65 species reported from within the state. These insects are omnipresent across both urban and natural landscapes, utilizing a wide range of natural and man-made aquatic environments for their early development. In most species, the adult female life stage exhibits obligate hematophagy, requiring a blood meal to complete their reproductive cycle. It is due to this trait that mosquitoes are major nuisance pests and frequently transmit disease agents to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. I will provide an overview of several important mosquito species present in Illinois and their potential role as zoonotic disease vectors.

Mar 2, 2023 12:00 PM in Central Time (US and Canada)