How to identify a Gallinipper

Psorophora ciliata
· Also called gallinipper, shaggy-legged gallinipper, giant mosquito, giant mosquito identification, what is a gallinipper

“What is a gallinipper” is a Southeast and lower-Midwest search after someone meets a huge mosquito with a painful bite.

After a southern flood, a mosquito the size of a small crane fly with a bite you feel immediately. Shaggy hind legs. Crane flies do not bite. This is Psorophora ciliata. Pain, then itch. Not the main U.S. virus story — Aedes and Culex still own that — but nobody forgets the first gallinipper.

What does a gallinipper look like?

Psorophora ciliata is very large — up to about an inch — with shaggy, feathery-looking hind legs and a yellowish-brown body. Juveniles eat other mosquito larvae.

Gallinipper (Psorophora ciliata) is Very large, up to about 25 mm. Colors people notice: yellow, brown, black. Field marks: Huge compared with typical mosquitoes; Shaggy, feathery-looking hind legs; Yellowish-brown with dark markings; Painful bite; also preys on other mosquito larvae as a juvenile. It is found outdoor. If those marks are missing, open Deer fly, Horse fly before you force this name. Search phrases that belong on this page include what a gallinipper looks like and gallinipper identification.

Identification marks

Huge compared with typical mosquitoes
Shaggy, feathery-looking hind legs
Yellowish-brown with dark markings
Painful bite; also preys on other mosquito larvae as a juvenile

Size: Very large, up to about 25 mm
Colors: yellow, brown, black
Where: outdoor

What a typical gallinipper bite looks like

Typical gallinipper bite or sting — A typical pattern. Reactions vary. This is a guide photo, not a diagnosis.

A sharp, immediately painful bite that itches afterward. Easy to feel when it happens, unlike many small mosquitoes.

People searching “gallinipper bite identification” want the pattern, not a single anonymous bump. A sharp, immediately painful bite that itches afterward. Easy to feel when it happens. Immediate steps on this page: Wash the site; Cool compress and balm for itch; If you have a large local reaction, consider antihistamine per label or clinician advice. This species does bite or sting people. Fever, spreading redness, trouble breathing, or a child with many stings is professional care.

If you were bitten

Wash the site
Cool compress and balm for itch
If you have a large local reaction, consider antihistamine per label or clinician advice

Gallinipper vs Deer fly

Size is the tell. A gallinipper can look almost crane-fly large but it bites. Crane flies do not. Tiger mosquitoes are small and striped. After a southern flood, a painful giant mosquito is this species more often than a “mutant mosquito.”

Deer fly identification (Chrysops spp.)
Horse fly identification (Tabanus spp.)
Saltmarsh mosquito identification (Aedes sollicitans)
Crane fly identification (Tipula spp.)

Range and season

Eastern and central U.S. after summer floods, especially agricultural lowlands.

Flooded fields and low woods in the Southeast and lower Midwest after summer rain.

Eastern and central U.S., especially the Southeast and lower Midwest after summer floods.

Summer, after heavy rain

Common questions

What is a gallinipper?

A very large floodwater mosquito (Psorophora ciliata) of the eastern and central U.S. The bite is often described as painful, not just itchy.

Do gallinippers carry disease?

They are mainly a nuisance. Size and bite pain are the usual complaints.

When do they appear?

After flooding in warm months, often in agricultural or low-lying areas.

What does a gallinipper bite feel like?

Sharp and immediately painful, then itchy. People often feel it happen, unlike a typical mosquito.

Gallinipper identification (Psorophora ciliata)