Culicinae. 19. 



6. STEGOMYIA FASCIATA. Fabricius. 

 (The Tiger Mosquito, Spotted Day Mosquito, Brindled Mosquito).. 



(Syst. Antl., 36. 13. 1805, Fabricius; Mono. Culicid. I., 

 p. 289, 1901, Theobald.) 



General appearance. Head clothed with flat silvery- white* 

 and black scales ; proboscis unbanded. Palpi blackish, with white 

 apex. Thorax dark brown, with a curved silvery line on each side 

 and two parallel yellow median lines. Pleurae with white spots ;. 

 scutellum with flat white scales. Abdomen black, with basal 

 white bands and white lateral spots. Legs black, metatarsi andi 

 tarsi with broad basal white bands, last hind tarsus pure white. 

 Fore and mid ungues of 9 equal, uniserrated, hind equal and 

 simple ; in ^ fore and mid unequal, the larger of the fore uni- 

 serrated. Wings with brown scales ; fork-cells short. 



Length. 3 '5 to 4 5 mm. 



Geographical distribution. Found in almost all countries and 

 islands between latitudes 45 S. and N. of the Equator. Particu- 

 larly abundant in south, central, and southern North America 

 and the West Indies. A common insect in Jamaica. 



Life-history and habits. This species, which has been described 

 under a variety of synonyms, is a day as well as a night flier, and 

 is especially annoying in the afternoon. It has been noticed to 

 be most so between the hours 1 P.M. to 3 P.M. It is essentially a 

 domestic species, breeding in water barrels, tanks, tubs, wells, 

 fountains, and any small collection of water around houses, even 

 in empty tins and calabashes. Now and again specimens have 

 been taken in the bush, but such is unusual. It is stated that 

 the males bite as well as the females, but if this does happen it 

 is very exceptional. The males have rudiments (sometimes quite 

 advanced) of the piercing mouth-parts, and it is then quite 

 possible for them to do so, but there are no authentic records. 

 The adults can live some time in confinement. Dr. Bancroft has 

 kept them two months or thereabouts. Pregnant females can 

 thus travel great distances by boat or rail. The eggs also can 

 withstand long desiccation. Some hatched out after two months 

 seclusion in a dry test-tube.* 



The adults appear over a large part of the year. The eggs 

 are laid singly, they are oval in form and are covered with a 

 complete reticulated membrane ; there are no large air-cells, but 



* Mono. Culicid. III., p. 143, 1903. 



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