Mosquito vs mosquito

Watch: Cannibal mosquito larvae eat their cousins on camera

The ultimate survival tactic: Eat the competition.

by Jennifer Walter
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Video originally published in Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Video originally published in Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

This wriggling larva just made a fatal mistake.

In one fluid motion, a nearby predator snaps up the defenseless prey as it gets a little too close.

Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Video originally published in Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

It might seem counterintuitive, but both predator and prey are mosquito larvae — just from different species.

The predator, Sabethes cyaneus, is one of a few mosquito species known to eat other mosquitoes.

Larval mosquitoes typically eat bits of algae and bacteria found in their watery habitats as they grow, but some prefer a more meaty diet.

James Gathany

Originally published in Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Since Sa. cyaneus larvae are so small and quick-moving, entomologists hadn’t captured them hunting on camera until recently.

Writing this week in the journal Annals of the Entomological Society of America, researchers used high-speed cameras to document the predatory behaviors of Sa. cyaneus and two other species.

Watch here as Sa. cyaneus flexes its mandibles before it goes in for the kill, trapping the larvae with its tail.

Video originally published in Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Sa. cyaneus’ signature move was captured from several angles, but the other two species in the study have a different prey-catching strategy.

Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

This is Toxorhynchites amboinensis. Instead of contorting its whole body, it simply juts its head out to snatch a meal.

Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Another species, Psororphor ciliata, uses a similar maneuver to grab prey.

Video originally published in Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Despite their lethal moves, the predatory larvae don’t down their prey in one hasty meal.

Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Analysis of their guts reveals that these young mosquitoes will supplement their diets with other types of food.

But there is a clever reason why they choose to cannibalize other larvae.

Researchers think this hunting behavior helps the larvae eliminate competition for survival in crowded habitats.

picture alliance/picture alliance/Getty Images

Hancock et al 2022, Annals of the Entomological Society of America

And the fact that these hunting techniques evolved separately in several mosquito species indicates that literally eating the competition is a fruitful survival strategy.

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