MOSQUITOES IN GENERAL 31 



or balancers, most distinctly seen in the crane flies 

 (Fig. 7). The family Culicidse belongs to the first 

 subdivision of the Diptera, i.e. the Nematoccra, by 

 virtue of the filamentous antennae (the second sub- 



Fig. 7. A crane fly (Fam. Tipulidae), often wrongly called a giant mosquito. 

 A characteristic Dipterous (two-winged) insect showing halteres. 



division is the Brachycera represented by the horse- 

 flies (Tabanidae) and house flies (Muscidae). 



The Culicidae are distinguished from all other Nema- 

 toceran Diptera by the presence of scales on the wings 

 and body (Fig. 7). The proboscis (Fig. 8) is long and 

 suited for piercing, though not all of the Culicidae are 



