﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOrRTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  273 
  

  

  Coides 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  derive 
  their 
  maintenance 
  from 
  the 
  warm-blooded 
  animals 
  

   including 
  man, 
  whereas 
  flies 
  belonging 
  to 
  Cerafo^yogon, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  is 
  

   known, 
  prefer 
  to 
  bite 
  cold-blooded 
  animals 
  such 
  as 
  caterpillars, 
  snails, 
  

   earthworms, 
  spiders, 
  lizard?, 
  etc. 
  The 
  breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  Ceratopogon 
  

   are 
  rather 
  complex 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  choice 
  for 
  oviposition 
  of 
  a 
  variety 
  

   of 
  situations 
  such 
  as 
  kitchen 
  refuse, 
  various 
  sorts 
  of 
  fungus 
  growth, 
  alo-ai 
  

   growths, 
  under 
  fallen 
  damp 
  leaves, 
  bark 
  of 
  trees, 
  rotten 
  fruits, 
  etc. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  Ceratopogon 
  species 
  are 
  purely 
  terrestrial, 
  i.e., 
  thev- 
  

   breed 
  in 
  moist 
  earth, 
  while 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  purely 
  aquatic, 
  and 
  breed 
  both 
  

   in 
  running 
  and 
  preferably 
  in 
  still 
  water. 
  So 
  far 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Culi- 
  

   coides 
  known 
  to 
  me 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  water 
  only. 
  

  

  The 
  terrestrial 
  larvae 
  of 
  Ceratopogon 
  are 
  characterised 
  by 
  bein» 
  

   sparsely 
  covered 
  with 
  strong 
  spines 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  body. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  

   each 
  of 
  these 
  spines 
  is 
  again 
  broken 
  up 
  into 
  minute 
  hair-like 
  processes 
  

   like 
  those 
  of 
  Phlebotomus. 
  In 
  general 
  appearance 
  they 
  look 
  like 
  a 
  

   small 
  caterpillar 
  with 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  legs 
  on 
  the 
  ventral 
  surface 
  of 
  prothorax 
  

   and 
  a 
  pair 
  at 
  the 
  anal 
  segment. 
  

  

  The 
  aquatic 
  or 
  semi-aquatic 
  larvse 
  of 
  Ceratopogon 
  are 
  legless, 
  serpent- 
  

   like 
  in 
  appearance 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  close 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  larvse 
  of 
  Culi- 
  

   coides. 
  All 
  the 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  Culicoides 
  larvae 
  have 
  a 
  characteristic 
  

   rapid 
  vibratile 
  motion 
  while 
  those 
  of 
  aquatic 
  Ceratopogon 
  larv^ 
  are 
  

   un-alert 
  and 
  very 
  sluggish 
  in 
  their 
  movement. 
  

  

  I 
  will 
  now 
  give 
  a 
  short 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  

   Culicoides. 
  About 
  a 
  dozen 
  species 
  of 
  Culicoides 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  

   from 
  India 
  up 
  to 
  now, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  only 
  one 
  species 
  is 
  

   partly 
  known. 
  There 
  is 
  great 
  difficulty 
  in 
  the 
  identification 
  of 
  these 
  

   minute 
  flies 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  any 
  reference 
  regarding 
  their 
  bionomics 
  in 
  

   India 
  and 
  this 
  paper 
  is 
  intended 
  to 
  throw 
  some 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  early 
  stages 
  

   of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  Culicoides 
  oxy 
  stoma, 
  Kiefl., 
  which 
  is 
  somewhat 
  

   bigger 
  than 
  other 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  

  

  Broadly 
  speaking, 
  Culicoides 
  oxystoma^ 
  looks 
  dark-coloured 
  from 
  a 
  

   distance, 
  but 
  under 
  high 
  power 
  the 
  thorax, 
  antenna, 
  and 
  legs 
  are 
  seen 
  

   to 
  be 
  brownish 
  yellow. 
  The 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  femora, 
  tibige 
  and 
  tarsi 
  

   lighter. 
  Antennae 
  fourteen- 
  jointed 
  with 
  oblong 
  joints, 
  the 
  last 
  five 
  

   being 
  elongated 
  and 
  cylindrical. 
  Wings 
  with 
  microscopic 
  punctuations, 
  

   with 
  very 
  minute 
  hairs 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  wing. 
  The 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  

   tinged 
  with 
  dark 
  colour 
  with 
  several 
  light 
  yellowish 
  spots 
  which 
  are 
  

   without 
  punctuations. 
  Abdomen 
  dark 
  grey 
  with 
  faint 
  spots. 
  

  

  Oviposition 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  observed 
  

   but 
  the 
  females 
  can 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  oviposit 
  in 
  confinement 
  very 
  easily. 
  

   The 
  gorged 
  females, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  host, 
  if 
  

   kept 
  in 
  a 
  dry 
  tube 
  with 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  dry 
  blotting 
  paper 
  from 
  50 
  to' 
  60 
  

  

  