Female mosquitoes prefer average-size, not big males

London, May 19 : The age-old notion that big handsome guys are most likely to win girls' love does not apply to the Anopheles gambiae mosquito, for average-sized males seem to get the most attention in that species.

Kija Ng'Habi from the Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre in Tanzania enclosed 30 males of varying sizes in a cage to compete for the attention of 10 females.

It was observed that average-sized males had sex a staggering six times as often as the biggest males, and twice as often as the smaller ones, reports New Scientist.

Various animal studies have suggested that being bigger means living longer and having sex more often.

The present study on mosquitoes, on the other hand, shows that average-sized mosquitoes have greater chances of winning females' attention.

ANI