The diagram depicts the life cycle of the female mosquito, emphasizing 4 main stages in this cycle.
Overall, this cyclical natural process consists of several steps which can be grouped into 4 main stages – eggs, larval stages, pupa stage, and an adult mosquito. It begins with eggs entering the larval stage and ends with the adult female mosquito laying eggs, after which the cycle repeats itself.
Initially, the female mosquito lays eggs on the surface of water. Once the eggs have developed over approximately four to seven days, the larval stage begins for them. After that, the larvae transform into wrigglers and become free-swimming. They feed on organic matter in the water for around two or three weeks, allowing them to grow to a length of approximately two centimeters. This results in sufficient growth for the next phase of development.
During the larval stages, larvae moult several times. The larvae transform into a pupa, inside which it undergoes a series of changes before emerging as an adult mosquito after approximately eight to fifteen days. Following this, the adult mosquito, measuring between 4 and 10 millimeters. By contrast, male mosquitos typically live for about 7 to 10 days, however, female mosquitos live much longer, averaging 4 to 8 weeks. Eventually, the female mosquito lays eggs on the water, and the process repeats itself.