During routine entomological surveillance, a health worker collects eggs from the water surface of a paddy field. The eggs are laid singly, are boat shaped, and possess lateral floats. Which mosquito genus do these eggs belong to?
- A Culex
- B Anopheles ✓
- C Aedes
- D Mansonia
Correct answer: B. Anopheles
Explanation
Anopheles females lay eggs singly on the water surface. Each egg is boat shaped with lateral air floats that keep it afloat, a feature unique to this genus. Culex lays eggs in raft form, while Aedes and Mansonia lay eggs singly but not on the water surface: Aedes deposits them above the waterline on container walls and Mansonia attaches them to aquatic vegetation. Recognising egg morphology is a standard method of genus identification in field entomology.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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