204 INSECUTOR INSCITI.^ MENSTRUUS 



THE EARLIEST NAME OF THE YELLOW FEVER 

 MOSQUITO 



(Diptera, Culicidce) 

 By HARRISON G. DYAR 



Under the above title, Mr. Frederick Knab showed (Ins. 

 Ins. Mens., iv, 59, 1916) that the name argentcus Poiret was 

 an earlier name for this species than fasciata Fabricius, for- 

 merly in use. This is cited in a footnote in Howard, Dyar & 

 Knab's monograph (Mosq. N. & Cent. Am. & W. I., iv, 824 

 note, 1917), but the change was not adopted in the work, the 

 species being called calopus Meigen. A still earlier name is 

 Culex aegypti Linnaeus, which Mr. F. W. Edwards writes me 

 can not be other than this species. Mr. Edwards has repub- 

 lished the description (Bull, Ent. Res., ii, 265, 1911), and I 

 believe this is correct. Culex aegypti dates from 1762 and 

 clearly antedates all the other names. 



However, Mr. Edwards expresses the desirability of making 

 an exception in this case and retaining the name fasciata, on 

 the ground, I presume, that it has been used so generally in 

 literature. It does not seem to me that it is necessary to make 

 such an exception. The name fasciata has been by no means 

 universally used, it is doubly preoccupied, and is not particu- 

 larly appropriate, or characteristic. In cases of doubt, the 

 name fasciata Fab. could be added in parentheses. 



Full synonymy has been given on page 182 preceding. 



