Mosquitoes species profiles
Basic profile of the different species of mosquitos that can be found in the UK.
Applies to England
CCHS navigation menu:
CCHS homepage
Topic: health impacts
Vector-borne disease: mosquitoes
Part of: learning about mosquitoes
Native species profiles
Anopheles claviger
Anopheles claviger is widely distributed throughout Britain, breeding in ditches, streams, pools, ponds, garden tanks and rain barrels, in clean, dirty, or brackish water.
An. claviger overwinters almost exclusively in the larval stage, with adults appearing from February or March with peak biting between May to September, readily biting humans as well as other mammals.
Anopheles macilipennis s.l.
Anopheles maculipennis s.l. is a complex of morphologically similar species. In Britain three species of this complex are found: An. atroparvus, An. daciae, and An. messeae.
All 3 species are found throughout Britain, more commonly in the south.
Larval stages are found in clean, permanent, standing or slow-moving water with algal growth and emergent vegetation, for example, ditches, ponds, and marshes. Anopheles atroparvus is more common in brackish waters along the coast and estuaries.
All species overwinter as adults, becoming active from May to June, with feeding predominately on animals, including humans, with no or limited feeding on birds.
Anopheles plumbeus
Anopheles plumbeus is almost exclusively a tree hole mosquito, distributed widely throughout the British Isles, in both urban and rural areas containing mature trees with water-filled holes, with some records also of breeding in containers and groundwater.
An. plumbeus adults become active in April and May, with a second generation in August and September, overwintering as larvae.
An. plumbeus is a persistent nuisance biter, biting mammals, including humans, and birds, with peak activity around dusk.
Culex pipiens s.l./ Culex torrentium
Culex pipiens sensu lato and Culex torrentium are 2 mosquito species in Britain that look almost the same, except for differences in male genitalia. Cx. pipiens has 2 types: pipiens and molestus.
The pipiens type is the most common mosquito in Britain, found across England, Scotland, and Wales. The molestus type lives mostly in underground shelters and is less often recorded.
Both species hibernate in winter. Adults appear in May, peak in June, and females switch to feeding on plant juices after August to prepare for winter.
They breed in many water sources, including ponds, ditches, marshes, water tanks, and buckets. The pipiens type is common in temporary water like puddles and flooded grasslands. Cx. torrentium also lays eggs in tree holes and containers.
Culex modestus
Culex modestus has been found in wetland habitat, commonly fresh to slightly saline water in open ditches and irrigation channels.
Previously recorded in the 1940s, the species was considered absent or very rare until its rediscovery in North Kent in 2010. It is now known to be present in West Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Essex, Cambridgeshire, and Suffolk.
It is known to bite both humans and birds. Adults are active from July to September.
Culiseta annulata
Culiseta annulata is one of the most common mosquito species in the British Isles, particularly in Ireland. It thrives in a diverse range of natural and artificial water bodies, such as ponds, ditches, marshes, garden water butts, and cisterns. These breeding sites can be sunlit or shaded, fresh or brackish, clean or polluted.
Unlike most British mosquitoes, Culiseta annulata remains active throughout the year in all life stages—eggs, larvae, pupae, males, and females—without entering diapause, a dormant state triggered by unfavorable environmental conditions. This unique trait allows them to overwinter successfully, making them one of the few mosquito species active in late autumn and early spring. Reports of mosquito bites during these seasons are almost always linked to this species.
Adult females feed both indoors and outdoors on a variety of vertebrate hosts, including humans and birds, contributing to their widespread presence and persistence.
Culiseta morsitans
Culiseta morsitans is widely distributed in England and Wales and has been recorded in Scotland and Ireland. Aquatic sites can be fresh or brackish, occupying both shaded and unshaded ponds, ditches, and pools.
Adults are active from May to October, with activity peaking in June and overwintering as larvae.
They mostly feed on birds, with occasional biting reports from humans, usually outdoors.
Culiseta litorea
Culiseta litorea is found along the coasts of southern England and Ireland. However, its larval habitats are not restricted to saline waters and will breed in freshwater in coastal districts.
Overwintering occurs as fourth instar larvae, with adults on the wing from May to September.
Feeding is predominately on birds, with human feeding also recorded.
Coquillettidia richiardii
Coquillettidia richiardii is widely distributed mainly in England and Wales.
Unlike many mosquitoes, the larval siphons and pupal trumpets are able to cut into plants and obtain oxygen from them, removing the need to surface for air. This behavior allows this mosquito to overwinter in the larval stage, even in ice-bound waters.
Adults are active May to September, being most numerous during July and August.
Females feed mainly on mammals, including humans and birds.
Aedes cinereus / Aedes geminus
These 2 species are morphologically similar and believed to have similar behaviors and ecology.
Aedes cinereus/geminus has a widespread but patchy distribution across mainland Britain.
Eggs are laid throughout the summer in dry areas prone to freshwater flooding, with adults active from June to September.
They feed mainly on mammals, becoming a nuisance biter where present. They have also been recorded feeding on birds.
Aedes detritus
Aedes detritus has a wide but patchy distribution in low-lying coastal and some inland saline waters, showing a preference for saline and brackish habitats prone to periodic flooding, with eggs hatching following each immersion.
Adults are active from March to November, overwintering as larvae. They bite outdoors and can be a prolific nuisance biter of humans. They have also been recorded biting birds.
Two morphologically similar species have been found on a handful of occasions in Britain, Aedes communis and Aedes leucomelas, though little is known of their distribution.
Aedes punctor
Aedes punctor is a common mosquito in the British Isles and is widely distributed, occupying wet woodland habitats. Eggs are generally laid in dried-up hollows and ditches or above the level of standing water, awaiting submersion during the late summer.
Adults are active from April and May until October, with peak numbers recorded in June, overwintering as eggs.
Adults bite a range of animals, including humans, with some bird biting recorded. Biting occurs during dawn and dusk hours, mainly outdoors.
Aedes caspius
Aedes caspius is common in flooded fen and wet grassland habitats, particularly in coastal settings. It will also colonise newly created freshwater (or weakly saline) habitats.
Adults appear from April until late October, with females biting outside.
They will readily bite humans and animals in rural and urban environments, most actively seeking blood meals at dusk, though they will bite anytime during the day and night. Along with Aedes detritus, they are a cause of widespread nuisance biting in low-lying areas.
Aedes cantans and Aedes annulipes
These are 2 morphologically similar species, both widespread throughout England and associated with woodland habitats, utilizing woodland pools.
Eggs are deposited in late summer and autumn among leaf litter in hollows that collect water in the spring rain. Overwintering eggs are able to survive several years. Adults are active from April to September.
They will feed on a range of hosts and can be a troublesome biter outside, with peak biting occurring after sunset.
Aedes geniculatus
Aedes geniculatus mosquitoes are mostly found in forests with a mix of trees or mainly deciduous trees. They are rare in forests with only conifers. They lay their eggs in tree holes and stumps, especially in water-filled beech tree holes, but they can also use objects like old tires. The water they breed in usually has a lot of organic matter and tannins. Adult emergence begins in May, and there are 2 generations per year, with the last adults occurring in September. Their eggs can survive cold weather and drying out. In colder places, they spend winter as eggs, while in warmer places, they survive as larvae.
They feed on different animals, including humans, cows, birds, and reptiles. Female mosquitoes bite during the day and at twilight. These mosquitoes can cause nuisance biting.
Aedes dorsalis
Aedes dorsalis adopts a similar life cycle to Aedes caspius, breeding in sunlit or partially shaded, temporary collections of fresh or brackish water in ditches and pools.
Aedes dorsalis are only found in England, with adults active from May to September, feeding on a variety of mammals, including humans, biting during the daytime and evening.
Aedes flavescens
Aedes flavescens has been recorded in coastal areas of Kent, Essex, and Lincolnshire, breeding in open and sunlit, fresh or brackish waters, including ditches, flooded meadows, marshes, and areas subject to flooding.
Adults emerge in May, with females rarely encountered after July.
Aedes flavescens tend to feed on large mammals, including humans, and may be troublesome locally.
Aedes rusticus
Aedes rusticus is widely distributed in England, with few records from Scotland and Wales. Aedes rusticus shares similar woodland aquatic sites to Aedes cantans, breeding in temporary woodland pools, usually lined with dead leaves.
Adults exhibit a shorter seasonal activity, emerging from March with few after July.
Information on host preference is limited; however, they are known to feed on humans.
Aedes sticticus
This species is uncommon in Britain, found in the aquatic stage in summer-flooded meadow habitats. The larvae occur mainly in temporary water bodies after flood events. It is most often found in shaded waters of floodplains.
The peak of biting activity of females is at dusk.
Aedes vexans
Aedes vexans is an uncommon but widespread species in the UK. It breeds in inundated areas, such as floodplains of rivers and lakes where water levels fluctuate, with eggs hatching in large numbers.
Aedes vexans is a prolific human biter, and where aquatic habitats are close to urban areas, it can cause considerable nuisance biting.
Invasive species profiles
Aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito)
The Aedes albopictus, or tiger mosquito, is common in Europe. It has not yet settled in the UK, but its eggs have been found in the Southeast, first detected as part of Invasive Mosquito Surveillance in 2016.
This small black-and-white mosquito is easy to recognize. It bites people in the day unlike most British mosquito species and is a vector for diseases like dengue and chikungunya.
Tiger mosquitoes live near people and lay their eggs in small pools of water. They often use containers such as buckets, old tyres, litter, clogged gutters, drains, and unused paddling pools. Unlike some other mosquitoes, their larvae do not grow in natural places like ponds or wetlands. They prefer cities and towns.
Notbale features include:
- small size (7 to 8 mm)
- black body with a white stripe on its back
- plain wings with no markings
**Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito)
Aedes aegypti is one of the most common mosquito species in the world. It can spread several dangerous viruses, including Zika, yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya.
This mosquito has adapted to living in cities and towns. It lays its eggs in artificial water containers like vases, water tanks, and old tires, which are often found near people’s homes. It can also use underground water sources, such as septic tanks.
Unlike Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti cannot survive in colder climates. The winters in the UK are too harsh for it, so it is unlikely to establish permanent populations in the near future.
Notable features include:
- medium-sized (10 to 15 mm)
- a black body with white markings on its legs and a white ‘lyre’ or ‘backward C’ shape on the back of its thorax
- a distinct, white pattern on the legs and the thorax
Aedes japonicus
Aedes japonicus is now a significant invasive mosquito species in Europe. It has spread mainly because of commercial activities, like the international trade in used tyres. Its presence is increasing in central Europe.
Originally from Japan and Korea, there are concerns that Aedes japonicus may help spread pathogens like West Nile virus.
This mosquito is well-suited to living in cities. The female mosquitoes are active during the day, which makes them a common pest.
Aedes japonicus can produce eggs that are resistant to freezing and drying out. These eggs can stay dormant throughout the winter and hatch in the spring when conditions are right. This ability to survive in tough conditions makes it easier for the mosquito to spread, especially in containers that have been moved from place to place.
Recent research in Germany found mosquito larvae in various containers like flower vases, saucers under flowerpots, watering cans, and paddling pools.
Notable features include:
- medium-sized (about 7 to 10 mm)
- a dark body with white markings on the legs and a white band on the thorax