GENUS CULEX 387 



CalicidfB Europ. p. 224 (1896), efc Venti Spe. d. Zanzare Ital. p. 98 

 (1899), Ficalbi; Dipt. Arg. p. 57 (1891), Arribalzaga ; Trans. Linn. Soc, 

 N.S. Wales, p. 1724 (1889), Skuse.) 



The LinuiEan genus included all gnats having the S- palpi 

 long and those of the ? short, and has of late years come to 

 include an enormous number of species, so that some subdivision 

 is urgently needed. 



Even as now, as restricted by Mr. Theobald, it includes some 

 130 well-defined species (without counting some of the older 

 and inadequately described names), but it is difficult to find any 

 basis for further natural subdivision and for the present we must 

 be content with an artificial classification, based on the coloration 

 of the wings, tarsi, &c. In the restricted genus G. jnpiens, L., 

 is made the type species, and its characters may be said to be 

 based on those of that species. Mr. Theobald defines the 

 restricted genus as follows : — 



Palpi of the $ short, three or four-jointed; of the ^ long, three- 

 jointed ; constrictions at the bases luay give the $ a four or five- jointed 

 and the ^ a five- jointed appearance ; the last joint in the J is usually 

 large ; the male may have the last two joints swollen, much as in 

 Anopheles, or they may be narrower and the last pointed. The antennas, 

 hke those of the preceding genera, are pilose in the $ , plumose in the 

 (J , and are composed of fourteen joints, the last two in the male being 

 long and thin. 



Pig. 45. — Venation of wing in Culex. 



Head ornamented with narrow curved scales over the occiput, and 

 upright forked scales, especially thick on the back of the head, flat scales 

 on the sides ; thorax with narrow curved hair-like or spindle-shaped 

 scales ; scutellum with narrow curved or spindle-shaped scMes only ; 

 abdomen with fiat scales ; wings with small median scales to the veins 

 and more or less thin linear lateral ones to some or all of the veins. In 

 the wings, the first sub-marginal ceU is longer and narrower than the 

 second posterior cell, and the posterior cross-vein is always nearer the 

 base of the wing than the mid cross-vein. The scales may collect in 

 certain areas and form spots {C. annulatus), or may be ornamented with 

 spots of differently coloured scales (C. mimeticus). The ungues of the 

 2 are equal, simple or uniserrated, of the <? , unequal on the fore and 

 mid legs, the large uni- or biserrated, the smaller uniserrated or simple. 



