Anopheles

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Anopheles \A*noph"e*les\ ([.a]*n[o^]f"[-e]*l[=e]z), n. [NL., fr.
     Gr. 'anwfelh`s useless, hurtful.] (Zool.)
     A genus of mosquitoes which are secondary hosts of the
     malaria parasites, and whose bite is the usual, if not the
     only, means of infecting human beings with malaria. Several
     species are found in the United States. They may be


     distinguished from the ordinary mosquitoes of the genus
     {Culex} by the long slender palpi, nearly equaling the beak
     in length, while those of the female {Culex} are very short.
     They also assume different positions when resting, {Culex}
     usually holding the body parallel to the surface on which it
     rests and keeping the head and beak bent at an angle, while
     {Anopheles} holds the body at an angle with the surface and
     the head and beak in line with it. Unless they become
     themselves infected by previously biting a subject affected
     with malaria, the insects cannot transmit the disease.
     [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Anopheles
       n : malaria mosquitoes; distinguished by the adult's
           head-downward stance and absence of breathing tubes in
           the larvae [syn: {genus Anopheles}]