What are the characteristics of adult Anopheles?

• A. Palpi as long as proboscis
• B. Palpi shorter than proboscis
• C. Palpi longer than proboscis
• D. Palpi absent

Answer: (A)

Adult Anopheles are identified by the length of their mouthparts: the palps are about as long as the proboscis. This means you’ll see long palps roughly matching the length of the feeding tube. This contrasts with other mosquito genera, where the palps are noticeably shorter than the proboscis. So, when a resting mosquito shows palps roughly equal in length to the proboscis, it points to Anopheles. The other options don’t fit because palpi longer than the proboscis is not typical for Anopheles, palpi absent isn’t correct for mosquitoes, and palpi shorter than the proboscis is characteristic of other genera like Culex or Aedes.