What insect transmits the parasite that causes malaria?

The insect that transmits the parasite that causes malaria is the mosquito, specifically infected female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. They acquire malaria parasites when they bite an infected person and can pass the parasites to another person during a later bite.

The malaria parasite belongs to the genus Plasmodium. Inside the mosquito, it undergoes an essential stage of its life cycle before moving into the insect’s salivary glands. When the mosquito feeds again, parasites enter the new host and eventually infect red blood cells.

Only female mosquitoes take blood meals because they need the nutrients to develop eggs; males feed mainly on plant sugars. Mosquitoes do not all transmit malaria, and malaria is not caused by the bite itself or by a bacterium. The most important human malaria vectors are Anopheles species, while other mosquito genera transmit different diseases such as dengue or yellow fever.