Where do Coquillettidia perturbans mosquitoes lay their eggs?

• A. Singly on water surface of cattail marshes
• B. In rafts on water surface
• C. In clusters on water surface
• D. Buried in mud

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how Coquillettidia perturbans oviposits and what habitat suits its life cycle. Females lay eggs individually on the surface of water in vegetated marshes, especially where cattails are abundant. This solitary placement fits their unique larval behavior: after hatching, the larvae must reach submerged plant roots to obtain air, so laying eggs right on water surface near dense aquatic vegetation ensures the hatched larvae can quickly access the roots they need.

Eggs placed in rafts or clusters on the surface correspond to other mosquito groups, and burying eggs in mud would not position them for hatching into aquatic larvae that require plant-root air access.