Q 01/05

The word 'mosquito' comes from Spanish and Portuguese and literally means what?

A) Blood drinker

B) Night singer

C) Small stinger

D) Little fly

Answer · why

D) Little fly

It combines mosca (fly) with the diminutive -ito; the family name Culicidae comes from Latin culex, a gnat or midge.

Q 02/05

Roughly how many mosquito species are there?

A) 360

B) 3,600

C) 1,200

D) 900

Answer · why

B) 3,600

They are split into two subfamilies: Anophelinae, which carry malaria, and the much larger Culicinae, which carry viruses such as dengue.

Q 03/05

How many pairs of wings does a mosquito have?

A) Two

B) Three

C) None; they glide

D) One

Answer · why

D) One

Like all true flies, the second pair is reduced to tiny balancing organs called halteres.

Q 04/05

What do ALL mosquitoes, male and female, drink?

A) Warm blood

B) Pine tree sap

C) Flower nectar

D) Fresh rainwater

Answer · why

C) Flower nectar

Blood is a female-only extra in many species, taken mainly for the protein needed to make eggs.

Q 05/05

How many people do mosquito-borne diseases kill each year, according to Wikipedia?

A) Around 100,000

B) Around 10,000

C) Around a million

D) Around ten million

Answer · why

C) Around a million

Nearly 700 million people catch a mosquito-borne illness annually, which is why the insect is called the deadliest animal on Earth.