222 



ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY 



The mosquitoes (Culicidae) are so well known as to need no 

 description, but there are many mosquitolike flies which might 



easily be confused with 

 them. They have the 

 mouth-parts developed 

 into a strong proboscis 

 fitted for piercing, and 

 the antennae of the males 

 are strongly plumose (see 

 Fig. 53) ; but the most 

 distinctive character consists of a fringe of scales along the margin 

 of the wing and also along the wing-veins, which can be readily 

 seen with a lens. The eggs are laid in small masses on the surface 



FIG. 350. Resting positions of Anopheles and 

 Culex mosquitoes. (Slightly enlarged) 



(After Grass!) 



FIG. 351. The yellow-fever mosquito (Stegomyia calopus}. (Enlarged) 

 (After Howard, United States Department of Agriculture) 



of quiet or slow-moving water, and hatch in from one to four days. 

 The larvae are the well-known wrigglers of ponds and ditches, with 

 their characteristic long, squirming bodies, thick head end, and 



