MOSQUITO BIOLOGY 153 



broad and pointed at apex. Palpi in male about three-fourths length of 

 those of female, three- jointed, second joint shorter than first, terminal 

 joint minute and circular in outline, first and second joints set with few 

 bristles toward apex. Antennae dark brown in female, with three basal 

 joints pale yellowish ; male antennae banded brown and white, first joint 

 very large, second swollen, plumes brownish. 



Thorax evenly reddish brown, sometimes with one or more faint 

 blackish lines down center; pleura pale brown with small irregular 

 patches of dirty white scales. Legs wholly black, except femora, which 

 are creamy white beneath, with very small white dot at knee. Claws of 

 male anterior and middle tarsal joints unequal in size, larger with long, 

 blunt median tooth, smaller simple. Male posterior claws and all those 

 of female equal, rather slender, with single median tooth near base. 

 Clothing and venation of wings similar to those of Culex, but lateral 

 scales long and slender. 



Abdomen black, above, with narrow creamy basal bands ; in female 

 these bands wide in center, becoming narrow toward sides, except in 

 seventh segment, which usually has narrow band, broad at sides. In 

 male bands always wide, broadest at extreme sides, often forming lat- 

 eral margin to apical segments. Sometimes basal bands wholly obsolete, 

 but this occurs in females only. Venter thickly clothed with pale yellow 

 scales. 



HABITS OF THE ADULT 



Practically nothing is known of the adult in nature. Although it has 

 been bred from a number of widely separated localities between the 

 Black River Swamp in the north and Lahaway in the south, yet it has 

 been taken on the wing once only, at Metuchen, on May 7. It can hardly 

 be considered a pest. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LARVA 



Full grown measures 7—8 mm. (.28— .32 inch) in length, excluding the 

 anal siphon and greatly resembles ordinary Aedes canadensis or vexans; 

 but is much more slender than either. Light gray to dark slate gray, 

 except head and anal siphon. Head broader than long, pale yellow or 

 darkly infuscated, often has brown crescent-shaped mark and several 

 smaller spots in center of vertex. Four small hair tufts of four or five 

 hairs each arise from anterior part of vertex, two larger tufts at base 

 of antennae. Antennae moderately long, rather slender, tapering evenly 

 toward apex, with tuft well below middle, composed of but five or six 

 hairs which do not reach apex ; surface set with small spines, thickly at 



