2/6 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



the anterior margin. The abdominal segments are subquadrate 

 in the anterior part, becoming elongated posteriorly up to segment 

 7, and giving the larva a very disproportionate appearance. 

 Each segment has four short hair tufts on the dorsal surface and 

 several others at the sides, in addition to the long lateral hairs. 

 These have four or five hairs on each tuft on the anterior two 

 segments, two each on the following up to segment 6 ; the 

 seventh with the small tufts onlv. At the time the drawing- was 

 made none of the specimens in hand retained the long lateral 

 hairs of segments 3 to 6, inclusive; since then, however, 

 large numbers of larva were received, so the correction is made 

 in this description. The eighth seginent is very short, with eight 

 to thirteen scales arranged in a single irregular row on each side. 

 The individual scale (fig. 84, 8) is much elongated, with a fring- 

 ing of short hair at the sides and apex. The anal siphon (fig. 

 84, 6) is dark brown, short and stubby, with a double row of 

 spines, from fifteen to twenty-one in each row ; small teeth ex- 

 tend upward from the base of the individual spines. A hair 

 tuft composed of but two hairs terminates each row. The ninth 

 segment is about as wide as long, with a saddle the same color as 

 the siphon. The ventral brush is moderate in size and consists 

 of eight or ten tufts of four or five hairs each ; the dorsal tufts 

 have each one very long hair. The anal gills are short, about 

 the same length as the ninth segment. 



Habits of the Early Stages. 



This is an unusually long, slender wriggler and easily recog- 

 nizable by that character as well as the contrasting dark head 

 and tail. It is rather deliberate in its movements, usually, and 

 has little of the jerky wriggling that fits the proper name to 

 mosquito larvae in general. It has also the habit of forming a 

 loop or circle, bringing its head almost or quite into contact with 

 the anal siphon and then allowing itself to sink slowly to the 

 bottom. In a jar containing a number of the larv^ this habit 

 may be observed at almost any time. Some other species of 

 Citlex do this occasionally; but with triseriatus it seems to be a 

 fixed habit. So, the wriggler seems to be able to remain below 

 the surface for quite a long time, sometimes lying quiet, some- 

 times feeding among the bottom fragments. 



The earliest record for the larva is May 9th, 1903, when Mr. 

 Grossbeck took very small to one-third grown specimens on the 

 Garret Moiuitain near Paterson from a water-filled cavity of a 

 hollow tree. Jnly 4th, Mr. Brehme found them in a similar place 



