The largest group of animals on the face of the planet, the arthropods (meaning "jointed feet"), includes a very highly successful class of organisms, Insecta, the insects. It is estimated that insect species outnumber all other known species of animals and plants on earth combined. One kind of insect, the mosquito, a two-winged insect of the family Culicidae, has particular importance with respect to the activities of humankind. Mosquitoes are a type of fly that have adaptive traits that make them very successful, and very devastating pests. Most importantly, female mosquitoes of key species must consume blood from vertebrates to provide nourishment for egg production. Female mosquitoes will ingest blood-meals from amphibians, birds, or mammals. In the process of consuming blood to provide the protein necessary for egg development, the mosquito becomes an important, and dangerous, transmitter of disease. When an organism is capable...