We often say that the mosquito “bites�, but that analogy would only be accurate if we chose to bite with a sharp nose that stabs and suctions up liquid. Appropriately, this mechanism on the mosquito is called a proboscis; it comprises an outer sheath called a labium that surrounds a bundle of

feeding stylets termed a fascicle. The chitinbased polymeric fascicle is made up of the labrum tube, thin tubes called mandibles, saw-toothed maxilla, and a flat central saliva duct called the hypopharynx. Each of these parts has a unique, complementary function that allows the mosquito to make

Plasmodium ookinetes, malaria parasite life cycle, SEM. Photo: Leandro Lemgruber, University of Glasgow. | Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Zygote Quarterly 28 | vol 2 | 2020 | ISSN 1927-8314 | Pg 13 of 140