Korean Malaria Mosquito vs Gallinipper Mosquito

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Korean Malaria Mosquito Gallinipper Mosquito
Scientific Name Anopheles sinensis Psorophora ciliata
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Culicidae Culicidae
Size 4-5 mm 7-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Blood Feeders Predators
Regions East Asia, including China, Korea, Japan Eastern North America, Central and South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Korean Malaria Mosquito

A medium-sized mosquito with spotted wings that breeds in rice paddies across East Asia. It is a vector of Plasmodium vivax malaria in China, Korea, and Japan. It is predominantly zoophilic but will bite humans when animal hosts are unavailable.

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Did You Know?

Vivax malaria re-emerged in South Korea in the 1990s near the DMZ, transmitted by this species breeding in rice paddies.

Gallinipper Mosquito

One of the largest mosquitoes in North America, with shaggy legs covered in dark and pale scales. It delivers an exceptionally painful bite and breeds in temporary rain pools after heavy storms. Its larvae are predatory, feeding on other mosquito larvae in their shared breeding habitat.

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Did You Know?

It is so large and bites so aggressively that early American settlers gave it the folk name 'gallinipper,' meaning something that nips gallon-sized bites.