Common malaria mosquito (Anopheles quadrimaculatus) pupa in water. The pupal stage typically lasts around 2-3 days during which the mosquito will not eat. After this, the adult mosquito emerges. The adults are known vectors of malaria; females feed on mammalian blood, and in doing so can inject malaria parasites, infecting the mammalian host and allowing the malaria parasites to complete their life cycle.