New findings

How a mosquito survives in the icy desert

Only a few plants and animals survive in the Antarctic, including one tiny mosquito.

(Bild: AFP)

Only a few plants and animals survive in the icy expanses of Antarctica, including a single insect. Researchers have now investigated how this small mosquito manages to do so. According to the study, the mosquito's body forms ice in icy temperatures.

Even temporary dehydration does not bother it. A two-year larval development cycle is also typical. As adults, the animals then only live for a few days, as reported in the journal "Scientific Reports".

The researchers from Japan followed the life of the Belgica antarctica mosquito in the laboratory from the egg through four larval stages to the finished insect. The larvae, which feed on algae and moss, among other things, initially grow and go dormant during the first winter. Their development then continues as soon as it gets warmer.

When the second winter approaches, a so-called obligatory diapause follows. This is a genetically anchored interruption in development that occurs in all individuals of a population under all circumstances, regardless of the weather. During this phase, the metabolism is greatly reduced and the mosquitoes can then survive unfavorable seasons. 

In Belgica antarctica, all animals pupate at the end of this phase and hatch almost simultaneously. The reason for this is that the tiny mosquitoes only have a few days to mate.