ii8 Transactions of the Royal Canadian Institute 



Genus Anopheles Meigen. 



A genus of world-wide distribution, although not very numerous in 

 species, most abundant in the tropics. The females have long palpi like 

 the males, an elongate mesonotum and very long legs. Many of the 

 species are the intermediate host of the malarial parasite of man. The 

 winter is passed as adult, the eggs being laid singly on the surface of 

 water. They are provided with little floats, which differ in shape in the 

 different species. 



Anopheles was divided into many genera on characters of vestiture 

 by F. W. Theobald. Subsequent study has led to the rejection of most 

 of these; but it has been suggested that they may be retained as sub- 

 genera. The Canadian species all belong to Anopheles proper. 



Key to the Canadian species of Anopheles. 



1. Wings with a white spot at outer third of costa punctipennis Say 



Wings without such a white spot .2 



2. Palpi blackish throughout 3 



Palpi with dull silvery white rings at the bases of the joints, 



walkeri Theobald 



3. Wing at apex with a coppery spot on the fringe, 



occidentalis Dyar & Knab 

 Wing-fringe uniformly dark quadrimaculatus Say 



Anopheles (Anopheles) punctipennis Say. 



Culex punctipennis Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., iii, 9, 1823. 

 Culex hyemalis Fitch, Am. Journ. Agr. & Sci., v, 281, 1847. 

 Anopheles perplexens Ludlow, Can. Ent., xxxix, 267, 1907. 



Mesonotum elongate, hairy, broadly whitish in the integument in the 

 middle, dark brown on the sides. Abdomen hairy, brown, the apices of 

 the segments darker, in the integument. Legs long and slender, blackish ; 

 tips of femora and tibiae with small white spots. Wings with the scales 

 black except in certain spots as follows : a large one at outer third of costa 

 and a smaller one at apex, both involving second vein ; one on third vein 

 in the cell, on the stem and middle of both forks; at base and middle of 

 fifth vein. 



The larvae are surface-feeders in all sorts of water-puddles, often in 

 small or temporary rain-puddles, but also in permanent water. The 

 males swarm after sunset. 



Distribution: United States from Mexico northward, except the dry 

 central region, reaching Canada at both coasts. 



