948 MOSQUITOES OF NORTH AMERICA 



about two-fifths the length of long joint; terminal joint minute; vestiture 

 metallic dark violet and blue, profusely sprinkled with golden scales, par- 

 ticularly at the sides ; apices of segments pale lilac. Antennae filiform, slender, 

 the joints subequal, with basal whorls of sparse hairs; second joint elongate, 

 about twice as long as the succeeding one, stouter, a crest of erect dark scales 

 along basal two-thirds ; tori black with silvery pruinosity. Clypeus transverse, 

 broadly rounded, black with silvery pruinosity. Occiput covered with flat, 

 brilliant blue scales, ocular margins silvery ; cheeks and head beneath silvery 

 scaled. 



Prothoracic lobes prominent, covered with broad, flat, brilliant blue scales 

 and bearing a few coarse black setae. Mesonotum clothed with small very deep 

 purplish-brown scales on the disk, a median stripe and broad stripes on lateral 

 margins involving anterior angles, well defined, of light greenish-yellow scales 

 with iridescent luster ; a sprinkling of dark blue scales among the purplish ones, 

 particularly on the posterior region; over the roots of the wings are patches of 

 brilliant blue scales. Scutellum brilliantly blue scaled at the middle, sides 

 silvery-blue and yellowish scaled in continuation of mesonotal lateral stripes. 

 Postnotum dark brown, nude. Pleurse and coxae dark brown, mostly covered 

 with silver scales with a slight yellowish tinge. 



Abdomen depressed ; dorsal vestiture dark metallic-blue with a greenish tinge 

 at base and purplish at tip, eighth segment bright violet ; first segment brilliant 

 blue scaled, with silver patches at the sides ; lateral margins of segments yellow- 

 ish-silvery, broadest near base and forming conspicuous median indentations 

 on fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh segments; sixth, seventh, and eighth seg- 

 ments marked with yellowish-silver along posterior margin; venter yellowish- 

 silver scaled, with a broad median, longitudinal, deep metallic blue stripe, 

 becoming narrow posteriorly and terminating near hind margin of seventh 

 segment ; eighth segment with numerous yellow apical setae ; no caudal tufts. 



Wings rather narrow, smoky along the costal area ; basal cross-vein oblique, 

 joining the fourth vein beyond the anterior cross-vein; costal vein blue and 

 purple scaled. Halteres with pale stems and black silver scaled knobs. 



Legs slender; vestiture deep violet and blue marked with white; femora pale 

 at base, bright brassy beneath and at sides, apex dark ringed; knees white; 

 front tibiae brassy on outer side; middle tibiae brassy on inner side; hind tibiae 

 with golden scales on outer side ; front and middle tarsi with second and third 

 and all but apex of fourth segments brilliant white ; hind tarsi with extreme 

 apex of third, all of fourth, and all but the tip of fifth segments brilliant white. 

 Claw formula, 0.0-0.0-0.0. 



Length : Body 7 to 10 mm. ; wing 6 to 7.5 mm. 



Male. Proboscis rather long, curved, tapering to a point. Palpi rather 

 stout, long, exceeding the proboscis ; long joint about two-fifths the entire length 

 of palpus, with a false articulation before middle and the apex somewhat 

 dilated ; penultimate joint more than half the length of long joint and equally 

 stout; terminal joint slender, slightly curved and tapering to a point, about 

 equal in length with long joint ; long joint and succeeding one predominatingly 

 brassy scaled, bases and apices and region of false articulation of long joint 

 broadly metallic-blue scaled, extreme apices and false joint pale lilac ; terminal 

 joint dark purplish with a few golden scales. Antennae stout, densely plumose; 

 second segment nearly three times as long as the succeeding one, stout, with a 

 crest of erect brassy scales ; tori black with silvery pruinosity. Clypeus trans- 

 verse, broadly rounded at the sides, black with silvery pruinosity. Abdomen 

 somewhat compressed on basal half, depressed beyond and slightly dilated to 

 apex of sixth segment; dorsal vestiture metallic deep blue, eighth segment 



