CHARACTERISTICS OF LARV.E OF AKOPHELINA. 121 



niai-king eosta and first longitudinal vein^ is entirely absent, 

 on tlie other it is present. Some of Theobald's species are 

 based on a single female. If this specimen liad been defec- 

 tive in this spot on both wings, it would appear at least 

 possible for it to found a new species. There is, however, no 

 reason why such a variation should not occur on both equally 

 with one wing. 



The Nyssorhy nchn s pretoriensis of Theobald is de- 

 scribed as 5 to 5"5 mm. long. This would make it, according 

 to him, to be of the same size as Myzorhynchus paludis. 

 In our collection, however, we find that the specimens of a 

 species, which accords in all important particulars with 

 Theobald's pretoriensis, are very much smaller; while the 

 frontal hairs of the larvae correspond with Theobald's state- 

 ment. We think it scarcely credible that two mosquitoes 

 from places near by on the same continent so very nearly 

 alike can belong to totally different species. 



Individuals of the same species are subject to much varia- 

 tion in size, and in the pattern on the wings (although the 

 main costal spots are mostly constant) and the relative 

 breadth of the bands on the palpi. The most uniform of 

 those which are dealt with in this paper is Pyretophorus 

 costalis, the most variable Myzomyia f unesta. Grenei-al 

 appearance is sometimes more helpful to distinction than 

 detailed description of markings. Theobald, in describing 

 Pyretophorus cinereus, says that at first sight it looks 

 like a large fnnesta. We have a number of specimens 

 which we do not doubt are large fun est a. This for a time 

 we took to be cinereus, although Theobald describes the 

 latter as having four white bands on the palpi against three 

 in fnnesta. He says elsewhere (vol. iii, p. 5) that specific 

 value cannot be attached to the palpal bandings. In some of 

 our specimens a few dai-k scales are visible in the middle of 

 the last segment, which in two is certainly divided by a dark 

 ring into two white bands. The larva of this larger variety, 

 however, difFers in no way, except in size, from that which 

 results in f unesta of the described size. On the other hand, 



