REPORT ON MOSQUITOES. 257 



cate that it cannot bite; but so long as it remains sO' rare the 

 question is hardly to be considered important. 



Description of iJie Larva. 



The larva, with details, is illustrated in figiu'e 78. It is a 

 stout, chunky wriggler, and when full grown is 7-8 mm.,= 

 .28-.32 of an inch, in length, exclusive of the anal siphon. It 

 is grayish black in color with the thorax somewhat lighter, except 

 the head, siphon and dorsal plating. The head is purplish black, 

 as long as broad, and has straiglit sides, rounded in front and 

 at the base. Six equally spaced hair tufts of five or six hairs 

 each are in a transverse row on the anterior part of the vertex, 

 the four central ones slightly to the rear and the lateral two very 

 close to the base of the antenn<'e. The antenna (fig. 78, 2). is 

 short, dilated at the basal third, tapers toward the tip, and the 

 apex has twO' long spines, two smaller ones and a little articu- 

 lated peg. The surface is destitute of spines or hair and the tuft 

 is situated on the shaft a little over one-fourth from the base, 

 consisting of about six feathered hairs. The eyes are small, 

 transverse and surrounded by a yellowish ring. The rotary 

 mouth brushes (fig. 78, 5) are orange or yellowish in color and 

 composed of simple hair. The mandible (fig. 78, 4) is normal 

 and the maxillary palpus (fig. 78, 3) is rather broad, square at 

 the base, with an obtuse apex and a large apical tuft; the basal 

 joint long and slender. The mentum (fig. 78, 6) is an almost 

 equilateral triangle with a large apical tooth, then five or six 

 small lateral ones, blunt at the tips, and four very large pointed 

 ones below these. There are usually nine teeth on each side of 

 the apex, but occasionally one has ten. 



The thorax is ^^•ider than long and is very thick, the anterior 

 angles somewhat sharply angulated. The six lateral hair tufts 

 are moderate in size and there are twO' small tufts near the ante- 

 rior margin. 



The abdominal segments are oblong or subquadrate in form, 

 with five or six hairs to^ each lateral tuft in the two anterior 

 segments and verv slight tufts in the succeeding ones. The 

 sixth segment sometimes has a small, dark brown chitinized 

 plate on the dorsal surface; on the seventh, a similar plate covers 

 the entire surface, save a slight anterior and posterior margin, 

 and extends down the sides below the middle. On the eighth 

 segment this plate is narrowed, corresponding tO' the smaller 

 dorsal surface, and extends lower down the sides than the pre- 

 ceding one. The lateral combs are at the posterior margin of the 

 17 MO 



