NO. 3557 SUBGENUS CULEX—BRAM 5 
Melanoconion, is restricted to the Caribbean Islands and the southern 
tip of Florida. 
The Central American isthmus also possesses endemic species. 
Culex delys and C. laticlasper are known only from the Panama Canal 
Zone. C. stenolepis is known from the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and 
Costa Rica; it exhibits affinities with C. thriambus, a species which 
extends into Colombia. C. pinarocampa has been reported from four 
states in southern Mexico and from Panama; however, considering our 
present knowledge of distributions, none of these Central American 
forms can definitely be considered as truly endemic. 
In the subgenus Culex it appears that the intercontinental islands 
of the American Mediterranean area did not assume the dominating 
role as a center of origin but, in general, were the recipients of the 
South American fauna. Although somewhat reduced in number of 
species, the Trinidadian fauna is typical of the fauna of the adjacent 
South American continent. The continental fauna is also reflected 
to some degree in the fauna of the other Carribean islands. This 
tendency towards a South American fauna (in contrast to a Central 
American, North American, or endemic fauna) is readily explained by 
consideration of prevailing surface winds of the Atlantic Ocean and 
typical tracks of tropical storms. Darlington (1957, fig. 8) outlined 
the course of the prevailing winds. Examination of these figures 
revealed that the winds and storms originate in the Atlantic Ocean 
and develop in a circular, clockwise direction, touching the South 
American continent and proceeding through the Caribbean or towards 
the Central American isthmus. The winds would have probably 
served as the primary agents of dispersal. 
Lane (1943) reviewed the geographical distribution of the mosquito 
tribe Sabethini. In this study he recognized five centers of endemism 
and dispersal in the Neotropical region as well as two negative areas 
in which no Sabethines were found (ibid., map 8, p. 425). In a sub- 
sequent study, Lane (1944) suggested that the tribe Anophelini also 
adhered to these centers of endemism and dispersal. Belkin’s Ameri- 
can Mediterranean area encompasses Lane’s Central American, Incasic, 
and Cariba centers as well as the Caribbean islands. This area is 
considered the primary center of dispersal in the New World. In the 
subgenus Culex the most prominent secondary center of dispersal 
corresponds generally to the Patagonian area. Species included in 
this area are: Culex apicinus, a highly adapted species with rather 
independent tendencies; C. articularis, also somewhat unique; C. 
brethesi and C. acharistus, species showing affinities with the restuans- 
laticlasper complex; C. lahillei, which shows affinity with C. foliaceus; 
and C. tramazayguesi, a unique species of unknown affinity. Another 
secondary center of dispersal might well be Lane’s negative center 4. 
