Classification of the Culicidse. 247 



tlie legs are either profusely barred or have some of the 

 tarsal segments white. Some of the antennal segments may- 

 have more or less conspicuous whorls of scales. On the 

 head broad, somewhat procumbent scales, which are not 

 " forked,^^ predominate, and it is chiefly this character that 

 separates the subgenus from Nijssorhynchus. 

 Kestricted to the Neotropical region. 



Section 3. Culicales. 



The species of this section are distinguished from Epialurgi 

 by having the posterior edge of the scutellum trilobed, from 

 Megalorh'mi by not having the proboscis bent like a pothook, 

 and from Metanototricha by not having any scales or bristles 

 on the metanotum. 



The scaly covering of the head shows much diversity. 

 The scutum, scutellum, and abdomen are always thickly 

 covered with scales. The relative length of the palpi is very 

 variable ; all gradations can be found, in both sexes, between 

 palpi which are long and palpi which are short. 



The wings in the majority of s}>ecies are not spotted; but 

 there are numerous species in which they are speckled, not a 

 few in which they are mottled, and there are some in which 

 they are spotted like those of some of the species of Ano- 

 pheles (subgenus) or beautifully dappled like those of a 

 Mi/zomyia or Nyssorhynchus, 



The larva has a breathing-tube of varying length. 



Some recent systematists have broken the Culicales in 

 pieces like a potter^s vessel, and have multiplied genera by 

 methods which resemble those of Procrustes. Taking these 

 proposed genera as they stand, they can be segregated into 

 seven groups, principally according to the characters of the 

 scales of the head, scutellum, and wings — characters the 

 import of which Mr. Theobald was the first to notice. 



a. Genera of the Culex type. — Three kinds of scales are 

 found on the head, namely loose-set, falculate, and cuneiform 

 scales on the crown and flat overlapping squames on the 

 cheeks. The scales of the scutellum are usually falculate, 

 but squames may be present or may even predominate. The 

 wing-scales are usually long and narrow, but may be ellij)- 

 tical or narrowly spathulate. In a few species the wings 

 are spotted by clumps of scales or are even spotted in con- 

 trasted colours. The palpi of the female are very short, 

 those of the male are almost always longer than the proboscis. 



