Introduction

The Culicidae (Diptera) family includes the so called mosquitoes, which have a global distribution. Mosquitoes are easily distinguished from the other dipters by having a long proboscis covered by scams, and long, narrowed wings also covered by scams. Their buccals parts are composed by a labrum, mandibles, lacinias and hipopharynx, all modified into a stylet.

In the world there are about 3,450 species (Kettle, 1995) and several species are important to human beings because they are vectors of diseases such as yellow fever, dengue, filariasis, malaria and equine encefalitis.

In Costa Rica, several taxonomic studies in Culicidae have been conducted. These studies have determined 22 genera and approximately 206 species (Vargas, 1998). One of the best studies is the one carried out by Heinemann and Belkin (1977) who listed an extent number of collecting sites and species identifications for many regions in Costa Rica. Darsie (1993) offers preliminary identification keys for the species found in the country and Vargas (1998) has published a book about the biology, medical importance, and control of these insects.

However, due to the fact that Culicidae is one of the groups most studied at global and national levels, most of the taxonomic studies have been conducted in urban or suburban zones. For this reason, species living in pristine forests or not having human beings as host are still unknown. In many cases, the larval stages of collected adults and the habitats where they developed are unidentified. A study covering all these aspects will allow a better comprehension of the biology and taxonomy of this important group of insects.

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