Culicinae. 25 



11. CULEX CONFIRMATUS. Arribalzagia. 



(The Pale-fronted Culex.) 

 (Dipt. Argentina, p. 46, 1891 ; Mono. Culicid. II., p. 42, 1901.) 



General appearance. Head dark brown, clothed with pale 

 creamy curved scales in the middle, and with ochraceous ones at 

 the sides and behind. Proboscis black. Palpi black. Thorax 

 with the front half clothed with pale silky yellowish-grey scales, 

 which become paler half way across the mesonotum, the basal 

 half dark brown and densely bristly. Abdomen dark brown, 

 with violet reflections, each segment with basal white lateral 

 patches and now and then a median yellow-scaled line, which is 

 thickest at the bases of the segments and which spreads out 

 over the whole of the apical segment. Legs deep brown, with 

 bronzy reflections ; fore and mid ungues equal and uniserrated 

 in the female ; in the male the fore and the mid are unequal, 

 the larger biserrated, the small uniserrated ; hind ones equal and 

 uniserrated. 



Length. 4 5 to 6 mm. 



Geographical distribution. Argentine Republic, Brazil, British 

 Guiana, Trinidad and Jamaica. In the latter island Dr. Grabham 

 records it from the Red Hills, Ferry and Rockfort. 



Life-history and habits. The adult occurs in a variety of 

 places, such as the borders of overflowing streams and swamps 

 and in woods. Dr. Low found it in jungle growth along the 

 coast of British Guiana. It also occurs in houses. The larvae 

 were found by Dr. Grabham in stagnant algae- containing pools 

 of permanent water. The larval stage lasted in an aquarium 

 exposed to the sun about eight days, the pupal stage 36 to 

 48 hours. The insects generally emerge between 5 and 7 P.M. 

 The adults appear to be especially active during the afternoon 

 and evening. I can trace no difference between the Jamaica 

 and Brazilian specimens of specific importance. The chorax is 

 rather more silky white in the Jamaican specimens, and the 

 abdomen has more often the median ochraceous line than those 

 from elsewhere. 



Economic importance. No diseases are at present known to- 

 be spread by this common species, but its bite is annoying, not 

 only to man, but to horses and mules. 



