2018年CRI Wow! Super-sized mosquito found in SW China's Sichuan

 

A Chinese entomologists has found a giant mosquito with a wing span of 11.15 centimeters.

Zhao Li, curator of the Insect Museum of West China, said the mosquito, which belongs to the world's largest mosquito species Holorusia mikado, was found in August last year during a field trip to Mount Qingcheng in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

First found in Japan and named by British entomologist John Obadiah Westwood in 1876, the Holorusia mikado species normally have a wing span of about eight centimeters.

"These mosquitoes look horrendous¹, but do not feed on blood. The adults have a life span of only a few days and mainly feed on nectar," he said.

"There are tens of thousands of types of mosquitoes in the world. Barely 100 species feed on blood and may be a problem for humans," he said.

In the western parts of Sichuan, Holorusia mikado, also known as the crane fly, are mainly found in the Chengdu plain and in mountainous areas below 2,200 meters.

"They are weak fliers because of their big bodies. When they fly, it is more like hopping². More often than not, they are found in areas with dense³ vegetation," he said.

The museum, though privately⁴ run, is a national-level museum. It houses over 700,000 specimens⁵, over 70 of which are largest or longest in their species.

1 horrendous   

adj.可怕的，令人惊惧的

参考例句：

• He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
• The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。

2 hopping   

n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
• I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。

3 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

4 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

5 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》