AEDES THORNTONI 819 



The larvse live in the water in holes in trees. Mr. Knab got them in a mango- 

 tree in company with those of Culex consternator. Lutz states that the female 

 sucks blood. 



Tropical America ; Mexico to South America east of the Cordilleras. 



Cordoba, State of Vera Cruz, Mexico, March 7, 1908 (F. Knab) ; Montserrat, 

 Trinidad, June 29, 1905 (A. Busck) ; Trinidad, November 18, 1905 (F. W. 

 Urich) ; Corentyne Eiver, Dutch Guiana (J. Aiken). Eeported also from 

 States of Eio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Minas Geraes, Brazil (Lutz, 

 Peryassii). 



Aides oswaldi, with A. podographicus and A. thorntoni, form a group of 

 closely allied species, the larvae of all of which inhabit hollow trees. The present 

 species is remarkable in the striking sexual dimorphism in the thoracic orna- 

 mentation, which led Coquillett to describe the opposite sexes under different 

 names. 



AEDES THORNTONI Dyar & Knab. 



Aedes thorntoni Dyar & Knab, Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc, xv, 10, 1907. 



Aedes insolita Busck (not Coquillett), Smiths. Misc. Colls., quart, iss., lii, 64, 1908. 



Aedes thorntoni Theobald, Mon. Culic, v, 485, 1910. 



Original Desceiption of Aedes thorntoni: 



Proboscis and palpi black; head behind the eyes dark with a purplish luster, the 

 margin of the eyes silvery, broadened at the sides; thorax violaceous black, the 

 anterior portion silvery white for nearly half with a dark indentation at the middle; 

 two small silvery spots near the hind margin. Abdomen above and beneath vio- 

 laceous black, each segment with narrow silvery transverse bands below. Pleura 

 silvery scaled. Fore legs deep black, first and second tarsal joints narrowly white 

 at base; middle legs black, the femora marked with silver on the under side for 

 about two-thirds the length, not attaining the base, apex silvery, base and tip of the 

 first tarsal joint and base of the second broadly white; hind femora white, a black 

 ring close to the base and another towards the apex, tibiae black, first tarsal joint 

 white-ringed at base and apex, second joint white-ringed at base. Tarsal claw 

 formula of the female 1.1-1.1-0.0. 



7 specimens, Bluefields, Nicaragua (W. F. Thornton). 



Nearly allied to Aedes insolita Coquillett and Aedes podographicus Dyar & Knab, 

 but differing from both in the details of the markings. 



Type. Cat. no. 10143, U. S. Nat. Mus. 



Description of Female, Male, and Larva of Aedes thorntoni: 



Female. Proboscis slender, rather long, subcylindrical, uniform, labellse 

 conically tapered; vestiture black; setae short, curved, black, those on labellae 

 more prominently outstanding. Palpi short, about one-fifth as long as the 

 proboscis, rather slender; vestiture black, setae moderate. Antennse filiform, the 

 joints subequal, rugose, pilose, black ; tori subspherical, with a cup-shaped apical 

 excavation, blackish; hairs of whorls moderate, sparse, black. Clypeus rounded 

 triangular, depressed, blackish-brown, nude. Eyes black. Occiput blackish, 

 clothed with rather broad curved scales, broader flat ones on the sides, black, 

 margins of eyes narrowly silvery-white, lower part of sides silvery-white, many 

 erect, forked, black scales on the nape ; bristles along margins of eyes and those 

 projecting between eyes pale. 



Prothoracic lobes elliptical, remote dorsally, blackish, with broad silvery-white 

 scales and brownish black bristles. Mesonotum dark brown, clothed with narrow 

 curved dark bronzy-brown scales, anterior halves with extensive lateral patches 

 of silvery-white broader scales, broadened and joined over the anterior mar- 

 gin, their posterior margins forming two rounded lobes which do not extend 

 to roots of wings. Scutellum trilobate, middle lobe large and prominent, the 

 side lobes small, blackish, clothed with narrow curved dark brown scales, each 

 lobe with a group of brownish-black bristles. Postnotum elliptical, prominent. 



