AEDES AURITES 859 



The larvae live in the water held by the leaf-bases of Bromeliaceae and holes 

 in trees. 



Island of Jamaica, West Indies. 



Mavis Bank, April, 1906 (M. Grabham). 



Dr. Grabham separated Aedes aureostriata into two species on account of the 

 inequality of the upper and lower pairs of anal gills in one form of the larva. 

 We have carefully examined the specimens sent us by Dr. Grabham, and notice 

 that the difference is one of length only. The gills are as unequal in those with 

 short gills as in those with long ones, although much more noticeable, naturally, 

 in the latter. We can not discover any other differences in the larvae, nor any in 

 the adults, and are forced to consider both forms as one species. The length of 

 the gills is variable, particularly with the character of the breeding-place, and 

 therefore not a specific character except in cases of high specialization. 



AEDES AURITES (Theobald). 



Howardina aurites Theobald, Men. Culic, iv, 216, 1907. 

 Howardina aurites Theobald, Mon. CuHc, v, 220, 1910. 



Original Desckiption of Howardina aurites: 



Head with golden scales in the middle and creamy ones laterally, with two median 

 dark areas and two smaller lateral dark ones. 



Thorax deep black with two median golden lines which unite to form one line 

 behind, and another golden line on each side running from the front to back of 

 mesonotum; and a small golden-scaled area on each side. 



Abdomen black with basal white spots and a few white basal scales. 



Legs deep brown, fore and mid unhanded, hind legs with basal white bands to 

 first and second tarsals only. 



$. Head deep brown with a median area of golden narrow-curved scales, then flat 

 black ones forming a lateral line on each side, then flat golden scales shading into 

 creamy-yellow with a small area of dark scales on each side bordering the eyes, a 

 few small dark upright forked scales; proboscis deep brown, unhanded; palpi deep 

 brown, a few creamy apical scales; antennae deep brown, basal segment deep brown, 

 pale inside. 



Thorax deep blackish with two parallel thin golden scaled lines in the middle 

 uniting behind into one line, which widens out over the bare space in front of the 

 scutellum; a thin golden line on each side running the whole length of the meso- 

 notum ending at the scutellum, and a small golden-scaled area on each side of the 

 mesothorax, the dark intervening spaces are scantily clothed with narrow-curved 

 deep bronzy-brown scales; scutellum with narrow-curved golden scales in the centre 

 of the mid lobe, small flat black ones at the sides, the lateral lobes with narrow- 

 curved golden scales, mid lobe with three large posterior border-bristles; metathorax 

 deep brown; pleurae brown with one large silvery spot. 



Abdomen black, with basal silvery-white lateral spots and the last two or three 

 segments with traces of basal white bands; venter with many pale scales, the last 

 three segments with broad basal silvery bands. 



Legs deep brown, pale at base and ventral surface of femora, fore and mid legs 

 unhanded, the hind with a basal white band to the first and second tarsals; ungues 

 equal and simple. 



Fork -cells small; first sub-marginal longer and narrower than the second pos- 

 terior cell, its base nearer the base of the wing than that of the second posterior 

 cell, its stem about half the length of the cell; stem of the second posterior nearly 

 as long as the cell; posterior cross-vein twice its own length distant from the mid. 



Halteres pale. 



Length. 4.5 to 5 mm. 



Habitat. Newcastle, Jamaica, W. I. (Colonel Loscombe). 



Time of capture. July. 



Observations. Two $'s sent by Dr. Grabham, and collected by Colonel Loscombe. 

 The species can at once be told from Howardina walkeri by its golden-scaled lines 

 and sides and the hind legs having only two, not three, basal white bands. 



There are no specimens of Aedes aurites in the collection of the U. S. National 

 Museum. Mr. Busck has examined the types in the British Museum, at our 

 request, and says : 



" Howardina aurites Theobald. Two types (both from Dr. Grabham, Ja- 

 maica), in rather bad condition, one with all legs lost, one with three legs, 1-2-3 



