Which mosquito genus deposits eggs that form rafts floating on water?

• A. Aedes
• B. Culex
• C. Anopheles
• D. Mansonia

Answer: (B)

Egg-laying patterns among mosquitoes vary, and some genera form floating rafts of eggs on the water surface. The genus that deposits eggs in such rafts is Culex. Their eggs are laid together in a single, buoyant raft that sits on the water, and when the habitat floods, the entire raft hatches. This contrasts with Anopheles, which lays eggs singly on water rather than in a raft, and with Aedes, which typically lays eggs on damp surfaces in containers rather than as a surface-floating raft. Mansonia has a different oviposition strategy tied to aquatic vegetation. So, the raft-forming eggs point to Culex.