46 Records of the Indian Museum. [\^ol. IV, 



This species is easil}^ distinguished, except in the case of 

 females distended with blood, from all other Indian forms by the 

 strong contrast in colour between the dorsal surface and the sides of 

 the thorax. It is a very common species in Calcutta at all times of 

 the year, but only occasionally. Often it seems to disappear for a 

 time (a few weeks or days) and then to reappear again in large 

 numbers. It is commonly found in dark corners of bathrooms 

 and basements in houses and round the lamp at night, and has the 

 habit of biting people's ankles under the dinner table. 



Distribution. — Probably all over the plains of India. I have 

 examined specimens from Calcutta (all times of year), Rajmahal 

 (July, February), Asansol {Paiva , February) and Pusa {Hoidett) in 

 Bengal, and from several localities in the coastal districts of Tra- 

 vancore (November). 



Phlehotomus major, sp. nov. (PI. v, fig. 4, wing, and pi. vi, 

 fig. 4, male genitalia.) 



Phlebotomus sp., Giles, Gnats or Mosquitoes (2nd. ed.), p. 5, fig. 2 

 (1902). 



Size and proportions. — Total length 3-3'75 mm. Length of 

 wing 275 mm., greatest breadth i mm. Hind leg two-and-a-half 

 times as long as the head and body ; its femur less than half as 

 long as the tibia and considerably^ shorter than the first joint of 

 the tarsus, which is longer than the remaining joints together. 



Colour.— A uniform golden grey with very strong silvery lights ; 

 the disk of the wings with a bluish iridescence ; eyes black ; legs 

 sometimes darker than abdomen. 



Head. — Rostrum somewhat conical, short, truncated in front. 

 Eyes widely separated, emarginate above. Antennae with the two 

 joints of the scape subspherical ; those of the flagellum elongate, 

 slender, densely covered with soft hairs. Palpi with five joints; 

 the basal joint very short, the second, third and fourth subequal, 

 shorter than the fifth. 



Thorax much as in P. argentipes. 



Abdomen long and slender, clothed with long recumbent hairs 

 and with tufts of longer, upright ones on the dorsal surface. 



Wings rather narrower than in P. argentipes , pointed, with the 

 posterior border much more strongly arched than the anterior. 

 The anterior branch of the second longitudinal vein much longer 

 than the distance between the two forks, which is considerably 

 shorter than the distance between the second fork and the mid 

 cross-vein ; the second fork slightly nearer the base of the wing 

 than that of the fourth longitudinal vein. 



External genitalia. — ( & ) vSuperior and inferior appendages 

 Similar to those of P. argentipes except that they are more slender 

 and elongate, the basal joint of the superior appendage being nearly 

 twice as long as the last apparent joint of the abdomen; inter- 

 mediate appendages devoid of a ventral lobe ; valves of the intro- 

 mittent organs .slender and blunt; genital filaments well developed. 



