26 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol, X, 



Felt's distinctions of his Culicelsa, Culicada, Ecculex, Culicella, 

 Culiseta and Protoculex in the matter of forked cells, and the posi- 

 tion of the posterior cross vein cannot be regarded as having any 

 taxonomic weight whatever, nor can I personally conceive them 

 possessing any constancy. 



A further character in Megarhinus should be the more proxi- 

 mal position of the anterior and posterior cross veins. No specimen 

 of the genus is before me, and Theobald's plates in his monograph 

 do not attempt any venation but in his text figures of M. solsti- 

 tialis and chrysocephalus (iv. 134, 13=5 137) the cross veins are in 

 their normal position, that is, near or just bayond the middle of 

 the wing. 



What apparently is a third modification occurs in Heptaphle- 

 homyia in which the presence of an alleged 7th vein with scales 

 caused Theobald to erect a special subfamily for its reception. 

 This view is a misconception and the point is discussed under the 

 generic notes. 



There are three folds (sometimes others) in the wing which 

 appear with more or less distinctness in some species of Culicidae, 

 in some individuals more vividly than others, and which may 

 easily be mistaken for veins. 



Such folds in the wing are well known to the dipterologist, 

 and give rise in the family Blepharocendae to what is known as 

 the secondary venation. The " spurious " vein, one of the prin- 

 cipal characters of the great family Syrphidae (being constant 

 throughout it with the exception of a single genus) is similarly 

 caused, whilst indistinct "veins" of similar nature occur in 

 Chironomidae , Mycetophilidae, Simulium and other groups, and 

 have, it is true, given rise to erroneous conceptions as to their 

 true nature and value. They must not, however, be confounded 

 with the fixed normal venation. 



The first of the three folds referred to is in a line with the 

 longitudinal part of the 3rd vein and certainly might easily be 

 mistaken by a beginner for the basal part of that vein, were it not 

 for the definite statement of dipterologists to the contrary. 



As however, the recent school of workers in mosquitoes mostly 

 appear to deUberately disregard all writings outside of those of 

 their own way of thinking in this particular famih^ it is no wonder 

 that serious errors are perpetuated.' 



The second and third folds of the wing he respectively behind 

 the 5th and 6th veins and have even been regarded as veins by the 

 author of the British Museum's little brochure, '^ How to collect 

 mcsquitoes." This view is quite erroneous. The hindermost of 

 these folds seems to be thickened somewhat in Heptaphlehomyia, 

 and by bearing a row of scales led Theobald astra3\ 



1 The study of related diptera by means of Schiner's Fauna Austriaca, 

 Williston's " Manual of North American Diptera" 3rd Ed., and Verrall's two 

 splendid volumes on "British Plies" would give the student all necessary in- 

 formation on venation. See also my explanation of the venation, with diagram, 

 in Rec. Ind. Mus. iv, 4(^8 



