8 INSECUTOR INSCITI^ MENSTRUUS 



male resting on her feet, the male underneath, grasping the 

 female, his back to the twig. They remained there for several 

 seconds. 



Total, 158 specimens: Terrace, British Columbia, August 12, 

 13, 14, 1919 ; Salvus, British Columbia, June 9, 1919. 



Aedes impiger Walker. 



Culex impiger Walker, List Dipt. Brit. Mus., i, 6, 1848. 

 Aedes decticus Howard, Dyar & Knab, Mosq. No. & Cent. Am. 

 & W. I., iv, 737, 1917. 



Mr. F. W. Edwards, after comparing Walker's type of 

 impiger with Canadian specimens, remarks : "C. impiger Walk. 

 is much more like decticus than any of the others you sent, but 

 I should say is probably distinct. Both Walker's specimens 

 have the front tibiae entirely dark, whereas your specimen of 

 decticus has them pale beneath towards the tip. Anyway, 

 impiger can hardly be the same as punctor, lazarensis or 

 intrudens as the head has dark markings — and there are other 

 points which would exclude all except decticus." ^ 



After carefully restudying the material, I think that Mr. 

 Edwards is right about the existence of two species, but not 

 exactly as indicated. The two species are decticus and pro- 

 dotes, the former being darker, more heavily marked, the latter 

 paler, with markings diffused, generally absent. I tried to 

 separate the species on locality, but that will not hold, as the 

 habitats of the two overlap. A. decticus is not common anyT 

 where, but extends across the continent ; prodotes is very rare 

 in the east, if it occurs at all, but common in the west. 



The male genitalia differ as indicated (Ins. Ins. Mens., vii, 



* This identification of impiger duplicates the difficulty experienced 

 with Culex territans Walker. In the monograph, we treated as impiger 

 the species now called intrudens, following Dr. Felt's identification, 

 which now proves to have been wrong. I proposed to drop territans 

 as confusing, and on the same reasoning would have to drop impiger. 

 I am afraid I will have to recede from this position. It will be neces- 

 sary to cite "territans (restuans)" and "impiger (decticus)" for a 

 decade or so, till the weight of literature accumulates to this usage. 

 To cite either "territans" or "impiger" alone would be wholly am- 

 biguous at present. 



