Bug FAQGallinipper
Psorophora ciliata · Order: Diptera · Family: Culicidae
Also called: Shaggy-legged Gallinipper, Large Gold-striped Mosquito
Source: Wikipedia
Gallinipper mosquitoes are large, yellow insects with a wingspan of about 7 to 9 mm and distinctive banded legs. Females aggressively bite large mammals, including humans, especially in spring and summer in woodlands or fields. They are native to eastern North America, ranging from South Dakota to Central America and from Quebec to Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Both sexes are large and yellow, with a yellow proboscis tipped in black, a pale abdomen with a paler tip, and a dark brown thorax marked by a thin bright yellow stripe down the middle and two dark side stripes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Their wingspan measures roughly 7 to 9 mm, making them relatively large for their genus.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Females bite humans and other large mammals, and the larvae also attack other mosquito larvae and tadpoles.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Females are active day and night in spring and summer, preferring woodlands or fields, and they lay eggs on moist soil or as rafts on temporary water pools.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae prey on other mosquito larvae and tadpoles, while adult females feed aggressively on large mammals.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species can live up to two years, and females can lay eggs on dry or damp ground that hatch months or years later.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Iowa, Virginia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Georgia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Do Gallinipper mosquitoes bite humans?
Yes, female Gallinipper mosquitoes aggressively bite humans and other large mammals.
Source: Wikipedia
When are Gallinipper mosquitoes most active?
They are most active in spring and summer, both day and night, in woodlands or fields.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are Gallinipper mosquitoes found?
They occur east of the Continental Divide, from South Dakota to Central America and from Quebec to Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Culicidae)
Asian Tiger MosquitoAedes albopictusCan spread germs or disease
House Mosquito ComplexCulex pipiensCan spread germs or disease
Yellow Fever MosquitoAedes aegyptiCan spread germs or disease
Inland Floodwater MosquitoAedes vexansCan spread germs or disease
Asian Bush MosquitoAedes japonicusCan bite
Southern House MosquitoCulex quinquefasciatusCan spread germs or diseaseSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psorophora_ciliata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.