Anopheles mosquitoes are typically found in which habitats and are vectors for which disease?

• A. Desert basins; dengue fever
• B. Urban rooftops; Zika
• C. Dry grasslands; West Nile virus
• D. Wetlands, ponds, cool damp dark areas; malaria

Answer: (D)

Anopheles mosquitoes are tied to standing-water habitats and malaria transmission. They breed in wetlands, ponds, marshy areas, and other calm water bodies, and they tend to rest in cool, damp, dark places near those sites. Because they carry the malaria parasite, the disease associated with them is malaria. The other options mix up the mosquito species and the diseases they commonly spread—Aedes mosquitoes spread dengue and Zika and prefer urban, container-filled environments, while Culex mosquitoes are often linked to West Nile virus. So the pairing of wetlands and malaria best fits the Anopheles mosquito.