Aedes mosquito pupa. LM

Aedes mosquito pupa. Light micrograph (LM) of an aedes mosquito pupa. Aedes is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except Antarctica. Some species of this genus transmit serious diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever, the Zika virus, and chikungunya. The head bears two breathing tubes, used when the mosquito periodically comes to the water's surface to breathe. The abdomen, which has seven segments, ends in swimming paddles. The mosquito does not feed while in pupa form, because its mouthparts are changing from the larval to the adult form. After a few days an adult mosquito emerges from the pupal case. Magnification: x10 when printed at 10 centimetres wide., Photo by STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY