Anopheles

Anopheles is a genus of mosquitoes, family Culicidae, subfamily Anophelinae, first described in 1818 and commonly known as nail mosquitoes or marsh mosquitoes. The genus is the sole vector for malaria transmission in humans; female Anopheles mosquitoes carry the Plasmodium parasite, including Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest human malaria parasite, spread most notably by Anopheles gambiae. Anopheles larvae, unlike those of other mosquito genera, lack a respiratory siphon and orient horizontally at the water surface to breathe and feed, while adults rest with their abdomens angled upward and have palps as long as their proboscis. The genus occurs almost worldwide across tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, surviving hot, dry seasons in some ranges through a dormancy period called aestivation.