CHARACTERISTICS OF LARVJ] OF ANOPHELINA. 113 



appear to conform quite satisfactorily to Theobald^s 

 definition of the respective genera^ but are not identified 

 with any described species. 



In a contribution to the 'JouiMial of Hygiene' by us 

 (vol. V, No. 4) on the subject of an epidemic of malarial 

 fever, statements were made as to relative prevalence and 

 habits of certain species of Anophelina. The determina- 

 tion of species was^ in most instances, made for us. We 

 have since given attention to the matter, and have found it 

 necessary to revise the determination of three species. There 

 may thus be discrepancy between portions of that paper and 

 of this. For the present detei'mination we are solely re- 

 sponsible ; photographic illustrations of the wing and palpi 

 of each species herein noticed are put in, by which the 

 determination may be checked. 



The original intention of this paper was to contribute to 

 the study of Anophelina by a description of the character- 

 istics of the larva? of some African species, as to which very 

 little, and that little very meagre, has been published. In 

 collecting and sorting material, it became increasingly borne 

 in upon us that Theobald's grouping into genera is by no 

 means in all respects satisfactory^, and that, admirable as are 

 his description of imagines, and notwithstanding that in the 

 introductory pages he briefly mentions that markings are not 

 constant, yet there is so tnuch rigidity both in the definitions 

 of the size, and of the wing and leg markings, that great 

 difficulty confronts the ordinaiy collector, in attempting to 

 assign specimens to their proper species. This is a matter of 

 importance in the case of disease-carrying insects. 



Generic distinctions are largely based on the shape of 

 scales. On this point we take the liberty of quoting from 

 ' A Monograph of the Anopheles Mosquitoes of India,' by 

 James and Liston, a woi*k to which we are indebted for much 

 assistance. On page 20 we find objections laid against 

 present generic grouping as follows : 



" (2) The classification is based in great part on the shape 

 and not on the presence or absence of scales. Scales of 



