---
title: "What the sources say about the Yellow Fever Mosquito | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "61 claims from the Yellow Fever Mosquito profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Yellow Fever Mosquito (*Aedes aegypti*)

> 61 claims from the Yellow Fever Mosquito profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Yellow Fever Mosquito](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/yellow-fever-mosquito/)

## Zettel Nalen & Kaufman. Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae). EDIS, University of Florida IFAS Extension.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN792

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A mosquito about a quarter of an inch long | The adult yellow fever mosquito is a small to medium-sized mosquito, approximately 4 to 7 m (~1/4 in). (note: tagline; the page prints 'm' for mm, ~1/4 in is the unambiguous figure) |
| whose yellow fever cost U.S. troops more casualties than enemy fire in the Spanish-American War | During the Spanish-American War, U.S. troops suffered more casualties from yellow fever transmitted by Aedes aegypti than from enemy fire (note: tagline) |
| Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, thriving in towns and cities | Aedes aegypti is now present globally in tropical and sub-tropical regions. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, thriving in towns and cities | They thrive in urbanized areas, in close contact with people making them an exceptionally successful vector. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Plant nectar; females also drink blood, mainly human | Male and female adults feed on nectar of plants; however, females bloodfeed primarily on humans in order to produce eggs (note: stats.diet) |
| Not Evaluated | The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus), has been a nuisance species in the United States for centuries. (note: stats.conservationStatus; no IUCN Red List assessment exists: GBIF and Crossref show none (checked 2026-09-29). Quote is a page line about the species as the carrier.) |
| Deadly | The most deadly is dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which is often fatal. (note: stats.dangerLevel) |
| Deadly | In 1981, Cuba experienced a major DHF outbreak, killing 159 people (note: stats.dangerLevel) |
| The yellow fever mosquito, *Aedes aegypti*, is about a quarter of an inch long. | approximately 4 to 7 m (~1/4 in) (note: the page prints 'm' for mm; ~1/4 in stated) |
| An adult lives from two weeks to a month, depending on conditions. | The adult life span can range from two weeks to a month depending on environmental conditions |
| Both sexes drink plant nectar. | Male and female adults feed on nectar of plants |
| Females also bite, mostly people, to get the blood they need for making eggs. | females bloodfeed primarily on humans in order to produce eggs |
| After a full blood meal, a female produces 100 to 200 eggs per batch on average | After taking a complete blood meal, females produce on average 100 to 200 eggs per batch |
| up to five batches in her life. | Females can produce up to five batches of eggs during a lifetime. |
| Each egg is about 1 mm long. It is white when laid but turns shiny black within minutes. | approximately 1 mm (1/32 in) long. When first laid, eggs appear white but within minutes turn a shiny black. |
| The eggs can survive drying out for months. They hatch once they are submerged in water, which makes the species hard to control. | Aedes aegypti eggs can survive desiccation for months and hatch once submerged in water, making the control of Aedes aegypti difficult |
| The larvae that hatch, like other mosquito larvae, are often called "wrigglers." | Mosquito larvae are often called "wrigglers" or "wigglers," |
| They breathe through a siphon held above the surface and eat algae and other tiny organisms. | Larval Aedes aegypti breathe oxygen through a posteriorly located siphon, which is held above the water surface |
| They breathe through a siphon held above the surface and eat algae and other tiny organisms. | Larvae feed on organic particulate matter in the water, such as algae and other microscopic organisms. |
| The pupae, nicknamed "tumblers," move but do not feed, and the pupal stage lasts about two days. | Pupae, also called "tumblers," do not feed and take approximately two days to develop. |
| The pupae, nicknamed "tumblers," move but do not feed, and the pupal stage lasts about two days. | the pupae are mobile and respond to stimuli |
| It often breeds in containers such as unused flowerpots, spare tires and rain barrels. | Yellow fever mosquitoes are container-inhabiting mosquitoes; often breeding in unused flowerpots, spare tires, untreated swimming pools, and drainage ditches. |
| It often breeds in containers such as unused flowerpots, spare tires and rain barrels. | Rain barrels around the home are prime breeding locations for the yellow fever mosquito |
| Stopping containers around the home from collecting water is one of the most successful and cost-effective ways to cut numbers. | one of the most successful and cost-effective methods to reducing populations is by preventing containers around the home from collecting water. |
| U.S. troops suffered more casualties from yellow fever spread by *Aedes aegypti* than from enemy fire. | U.S. troops suffered more casualties from yellow fever transmitted by Aedes aegypti than from enemy fire |
| this mosquito is the primary vector of yellow fever | As the name suggests, the yellow fever mosquito is the primary vector of the yellow fever virus. |
| A vector is an animal that carries a disease from one host to another. | the primary vector of yellow fever (note: definition of a general term, not a source claim) |
| In 1981 an outbreak in Cuba killed 159 people. | In 1981, Cuba experienced a major DHF outbreak, killing 159 people |
| It bites readily during the day, indoors and out. | Aedes aegypti readily bite during the day and indoors as well as outdoors. |
| The species began in Africa. | Originating in Africa, Aedes aegypti is now present globally in tropical and sub-tropical regions. |
| Today it lives in tropical and subtropical regions across the globe, and it thrives in urban areas. | Aedes aegypti is now present globally in tropical and sub-tropical regions. |
| Today it lives in tropical and subtropical regions across the globe, and it thrives in urban areas. | They thrive in urbanized areas |
| Adults of both sexes drink plant nectar. Females also take blood, mostly from humans, to produce eggs. | Male and female adults feed on nectar of plants; however, females bloodfeed primarily on humans in order to produce eggs |

## Walker et al. (2021). Modeling the effects of Aedes aegypti’s larval environment on adult body mass at emergence. PLOS Computational Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009102

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In one lab experiment, females weighed 0.69 to 3.35 mg on emerging as adults. | mass at emergence, which ranged from 0.69 to 3.35 mg |
| In one lab experiment, females | The mass of adult females, but not males, was recorded using a high precision analytical balance |

## McBride et al. (2014). Evolution of mosquito preference for humans linked to an odorant receptor. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13964

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A "domestic" form of the species has evolved to specialise in biting humans. | A 'domestic' form of the mosquito Aedes aegypti has evolved to specialize in biting humans (note: body) |
| Along the coast of Kenya it lives alongside an ancestral "forest" form that prefers to bite other animals. | The domestic form coexists with an ancestral, 'forest' form that prefers to bite non-human animals and is found along the coast of Kenya. |
| In the domestic form, a smell receptor called AaegOr4 is expressed more strongly and is more sensitive to a compound found at high levels in human odour. | the evolution of preference for human odour in domestic mosquitoes is tightly linked to increases in the expression and ligand-sensitivity of the odorant receptor AaegOr4, which we found recognizes a compound present at high levels in human odour |
| Its human-biting domestic form evolved a preference for our odour. | A 'domestic' form of the mosquito Aedes aegypti has evolved to specialize in biting humans (note: faq 2) |
| In lab colonies, that preference is tightly linked to one smell receptor gene, AaegOr4, which domestic mosquitoes express more strongly. | the evolution of preference for human odour in domestic mosquitoes is tightly linked to increases in the expression and ligand-sensitivity of the odorant receptor AaegOr4 (note: faq 2) |
| In lab colonies | We collected the two forms, established laboratory colonies, and document striking divergence in preference for human versus non-human animal odour. (note: faq 2) |
| The receptor recognises a compound present at high levels in human odour. | which we found recognizes a compound present at high levels in human odour (note: faq 2) |

## O'Brien (2010). ARS Study Provides a Better Understanding of How Mosquitoes Find a Host. USDA Agricultural Research Service.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2010/ars-study-provides-a-better-understanding-of-how-mosquitoes-find-a-host/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Detects the left-handed or right-handed form of a chemical in mammal odour | Ae. aegypti taps into the "right-handed" and "left-handed" structural nature of octenol, which is emitted by people, cattle and other mammals. (note: stats.superpower) |
| One clue is octenol, a compound that people, cattle and other mammals give off. | octenol, which is emitted by people, cattle and other mammals |
| Octenol comes in a "right-handed" and a "left-handed" form, which are mirror images. | Octenol is one of many carbon-based compounds that have a molecular structure that can take on either a "right-handed" or "left-handed" form. Each form is a mirror image of the other |
| Scientists put mosquito RNA into frog eggs and measured the electrical signals. | They injected RNA from Ae. aegypti into the frog eggs |
| Scientists put mosquito RNA into frog eggs and measured the electrical signals. | recorded the electrical signals stimulated by the odors |
| The cells responded more strongly to the right-handed form. | The scientists found heightened electrical activity when the membrane was exposed to the right-handed form, and weakened activity when it was exposed to the left-handed form. |
| They find a meal by chemistry. | When they hunt for a blood meal, mosquitoes hone in on a variety of chemicals, including carbon dioxide, lactic acid, ammonia and octenol. |
| Octenol comes in right-handed and left-handed forms that are mirror images | Ae. aegypti taps into the "right-handed" and "left-handed" structural nature of octenol, which is emitted by people, cattle and other mammals. (note: vibe.reason) |
| this mosquito's smell cells respond more strongly to the right-handed one | The scientists found heightened electrical activity when the membrane was exposed to the right-handed form, and weakened activity when it was exposed to the left-handed form. (note: vibe.reason) |

## Kraemer et al. (2015). The global distribution of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. eLife.

https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.08347

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 2015 mapping study of this species and its relative *Aedes albopictus* found the pair's distributions to be the widest ever recorded, now extensive on all continents. | We show Aedes distributions to be the widest ever recorded; now extensive in all continents, including North America and Europe. (note: the study covers Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus together; the sentence gives the record to the pair, dated to the study) |

## Hoffmann et al. (2011). Successful establishment of Wolbachia in Aedes populations to suppress dengue transmission. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10356

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In Australia, scientists released mosquitoes carrying a bacterium, Wolbachia, into two wild populations. Within a few months the bacterium had reached near-fixation, meaning almost every mosquito there carried it. | successfully invaded two natural A. aegypti populations in Australia, reaching near-fixation in a few months following releases of wMel-infected A. aegypti adults (note: 'almost every mosquito there carried it' glosses near-fixation (infection frequency near 100%)) |
| One candidate is Wolbachia, a bacterium passed from mother to offspring. | this maternally-inherited agent provides a powerful mechanism to invade natural populations (note: faq 3) |
| Put into mosquitoes, it interferes with the transmission of disease. | When Wolbachia are introduced into mosquitoes, they interfere with pathogen transmission (note: faq 3) |
| The team behind releases in two wild Australian populations concluded that Wolbachia-based strategies can be a practical way to suppress dengue, with potential for use across whole areas. | These findings demonstrate that Wolbachia-based strategies can be deployed as a practical approach to dengue suppression with potential for area-wide implementation (note: faq 3) |
| releases in two wild Australian populations | successfully invaded two natural A. aegypti populations in Australia (note: faq 3) |

## Dengue and severe dengue. World Health Organization fact sheet.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| It also spreads dengue. | The dengue virus is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito. |
| Most infections are mild | Most people with dengue have mild or no symptoms and will get better in 1-2 weeks. |
| but severe dengue can kill: more than 12,000 dengue deaths were reported to the World Health Organization in 2024 | During 2024, ongoing transmission, combined with an unexpected spike in dengue cases, resulted in a historic high of over 14.6 million cases and more than 12 000 dengue-related deaths reported. |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | Rarely, dengue can be severe and lead to death. (note: stats.dangerLevel, task #986: Deadly is a capability; the bite transmits a virus that kills, and the same sheet names Aedes aegypti as the primary vector. Replaces EDIS's 'DHF often fatal', older terminology that overstates the rate) |