Magnified 405x, this scanning electron micrograph (SEM) revealed the ornately festooned tip of an Anopheles gambiae mosquito's proboscis. Seen in the field of view is actually the sheath that covered the pair of the needle-sharp "stylets", which together are known as the "fascicle". The larger of the two stylets, known as the "labrum", when viewed in cross-section, takes on the shape of a "V", and acts as a gutter, which directs the ingested host blood towards the insect's mouth.Created: 2006
