400 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIII 



knobs. Fore and mid tai'sal claws of male unequal, with extra teeth on 

 both claws, but those of the smaller ones are very minute. Ventral 

 segments with broad pale basal bands. Length. — Over 4 mm. 

 Habitat. — Appears to occur all over Eastern Australia. 



IG. CULEX BANCROFTII, Skuse (" S. A. C." p. 1, 740). 



8 



Tarsi with snow-white basal bands. Thorax dark 

 brown with tvvo subtnedian longitudinal lines ending in 

 a spade-shaped expansion, and two lateral curved lines 

 of snow-white ; abdomen violet black, with white basal 

 bands to the segments ; a small silvery patcli on each 

 side of the head. 



Mr. Theobald, in the monograph, treats this as a variety of 

 the above, but the figure he gives of the thoracic ornament differs 

 entirely from Skuse's diagram, and Skuse makes no mention of 

 a band on the probosci?.. Eeferring to some specimens sent 

 from Queensland b}'^ Dr. Bancroft, he says: "1 can detect no 

 structural difference in this specimen from C. annulirostris, in 

 spite of its peculiar ornamentation on the thorax, except a slight 

 variation in the position of the posterior cross-vein." But it is 

 very unlikely that Skuse would overlook the band on the pro- 

 boscis, and I suspect that they are not deaHng with the same 

 species. 



17. CULEX SITIENS, Wied. ("A. Z. I." p. 5U}. 



Tarsi dark brown, with narrow basal bands on the three or 

 four upper joints of the fore and mid legs, but with, the hind tarsi 

 unhanded. Thorax dark brown, with scattered golden scales, 

 paler in the middle, but not noticeably marked. Abdominal 

 segments deep brown, with narrow ochreous basal bands, except 

 the first, which has a dark brown patch in the centre. 



Wings with fork of II, just internal to that of IV, and 4 

 twice its length inside 8. Proboscis deep brown, with a narrow 

 yellow band well outside the middle. 



2 Head brown, with creamy curved, and numerous black forked 

 scales ; palpi short, thick, dark brown, greyish at top. I'leurje dark 

 brown, with a white jiatch under the wings and another over the middle 

 legs. Legs dark brown, except the greyisli -yellow undersides of the 

 femora, which are armed with a distinct row of strong bristles. Halteres 

 with pale stems and fuscous knobs. Length. — 3 mm. 



Habitat. — Straits Settlements (Taipang). 



Observations. — The identification of this form with Wiedemann's 



