MOSQUITOS OF THE PALAEARCTIC REGION. 313 



may be discovered on closer study, especially when the European form is better 

 known. 



According to Eckstein the larva of A . nigrmus lives in flooded meadows together 

 with A. vexans and A. dorsalis, and several generations are passed through during 

 the year. This does not accord with what is known of the habits of the allied 

 North American species. 



Distribution. — Widely spread in Europe, but seems to be nearly always rare. 

 I have seen specimens (mostly females) from Scotland (Stephens' type ; also Aberfoyle, 

 Carter) ; England (New Forest, Theobald's types) ; France (Melun, Debreuil ; 

 Bois de Lutterbach, Bois de Borne, Chalampe, P. Lesne) ; Germany (Liiben, Rados, 

 Halle, Loew ; Bonn, Schneider ; Berlin, Lichtwardt) ; Denmark (Jutland, Wesenberg- 

 L'und) ; Austria (Linz, Kahlenberg, Aigen, Mik ; Dornbach, Handlirsch ; Prater, 

 Pokorny ; Styria, Mann) ; Hungary (Szovata, Csiki) ; Siberia (Asinovo, 61° 25' 

 Trybom) . 



A long series collected by Dr. K. Kertesz at Fuzine and Jasenak (Croatia) shows 

 very little variation ; in all these the abdomen of both sexes has complete white 

 basal segmental bands, and the dark-scaled area in the middle of the mesonotum 

 is more extensive than usual, the specimens agreeing in this respect with many 

 American examples of A . aldrichi, though not showing a pale median line dividing 

 the dark area. 



21. Aedes (Ochlerotatus) punctor (Kirl>y) var. meigenanus, Dyar (fig. 7g). 



Cidex punctor, Kirby, Fauna Boreali-Americana,. Zool. Ins. p. 308 (1829). 

 Cidicada (or OcJderotatus) netnorosus, Theobald, de Meijere, Edwards, Lang 



{nee Meigen). 

 (?) Cidicada nemorosa f. Jiaplolineata and f. alineata, Schneider, Verb. Nat. Vcr. 



Bonn, Ixx, p. 37 (1913). 

 Aedes punctor, Dyar, Insecutor Inscitiae, viii, p. 3 (1920), and ix, p. 71 (1921). 

 Aides meigenanus, Dyar, Insecutor Inscitiae, ix, p. 72 (1921). 

 Aedes sylvae, Martini {ncc Theobald), Uber Stechmiicken, p. 108 (1920). 



This species is a variable one, and hence difficult to distinguish with certainty 

 from its allies. The absence of a definite speckling of pale scales on the femora and 

 tibiae, and the creamy tint of the abdominal bands — those on the last few segments 

 being rather conspicuously narrowed in the middle — are, taken together, the best means 

 of distinguishing the female. The male hypopygium is very distinct ; the large, 

 prominent basal lobes and the short stem and strongly chitinised appendage of the 

 claspette suggest that the species is really more nearly related to the A. caspius 

 group than to the other members of the dark-legged group ; this supposition is to 

 some extent borne out by the larval structure. 



In the commonest type the mesonotum has brown or ochreous scales at the sides, 

 with a broad longitudinal dark brown band in the middle ; this form is fairly distinct 

 from other European species, though it might perhaps be confused with .4. sticticus 

 or A. diantaeus {cf. the distinctions of those species). Frequently, however, the 

 dark central band of the mesonotum is either absent altogether or represented by 

 two narrow bands, and such specimens are difficult to distinguish from A. comnmnis 

 or A. p'ullatus. 



I have rejected the name nemorosus for this species, because there appear to be 

 no examples of it so named in Meigen's collection in Paris, while there is a male of 

 A . communis ; the name nemorosus has been used to cover so many species that 

 there would be little advantage in retaining it. The present species is possibly 

 Meigen's C. sylvaticus, but this is doubtful. While admitting that there are minute 

 differences in larva and adult, as well as some distinction in breeding habits, between 

 A. punctor and the European form, I cannot believe these are sufficient to justify 



