146 THE MOSQUITOES OF NEW JERSEY 



peg. Hair tuft issues from shaft slightly below middle, and consists of 

 but two fine hairs, which do not reach apex. Eyes occupy part where 

 head is widest and are very small, consisting of crescent-shaped piece 

 and very small detached portion in concavity. Whole surrounded by 

 small ring of yellowish white, in strong contrast with dark colored head. 

 Rotary mouth brushes yellowish brown with more central hairs pecti- 

 nated at tips. Mandible normal, but rather broad. Maxillary palpus 

 tapers toward apex, has moderate apical tuft and medium sized, stout, 

 basal joint. Mentum broadly triangular, almost three times as broad as 

 long at base, with nine or ten teeth on each side, small at apex, becom- 

 ing larger toward base. 



Thorax a little larger than head, rounded and with slight angles at 

 sides, each angle giving rise to rather long hair tufts. 



Abdominal segments from one to seven greatly elongated, very dis- 

 proportionate to small thorax and comparatively large head; lateral 

 tufts have each three to five hairs, diminishing in size posteriorly, sev- 

 enth with small hair tufts only. Eighth segment has lateral patches of 

 scales, from twenty-five to thirty-five in each patch ; single scales very 

 small, rather broad and with fine, long fringes confined to broad apex. 

 Anal siphon dark brown, about twice as broad as long and evenly ta- 

 pered toward apex. Double row of spines extends almost to apex and 

 consists of seventeen to twenty-one each, individual spines broad at 

 base, with two or three large teeth and sometimes small one on opposite 

 side. Siphonal tuft in center of siphon, slightly nearer apex. Only spe- 

 cies where spines exceed tuft ; usually it terminates row. Ninth segment 

 very small, dorsal half saddled by dark brown chitinized plate ; ventral 

 brush moderate and usually confined to barred area, though rarely 

 small tufts below it ; double dorsal tuft normal, each with one long hair. 

 Anal gills slender, a little longer than ninth segment. 



HABITS OF THE EAELY STAGES 

 According to Dyar the eggs in fall are laid in patches on the rock 

 side of the pot holes where the larvae occur, usually at a time when the 

 water is low, and the winter is passed in that condition. They begin to 

 hatch in March, but irregularly, and the larvae grow slowly. From 

 adults matured late in April eggs were obtained after two weeks and 

 these were scattered loosely over the surface of the water, not adherent 

 to the sides, in patches. The eggs are black, elliptical, the ends round 

 pointed, coarsely reticulated. Those laid in spring hatched in three days 

 and there are, probably, several broods during the season. My observa- 

 tions agree with the following from Dyar : "The larvae are rather delib- 



