Culicinae. 29 



dragon-fly larvae. Dr. Grabham says they are easily distinguished 

 from the larvae of other local culices by their delicate transparent 

 outline, small size, and relatively greater length and fineness of 

 the respiratory siphon. Dr. Low also noticed the difference in 

 the long thin siphon. 



The head is very broad, broader than the thorax, and the 

 legs prominent ; the thorax is also broader than the abdomen, 

 and the siphon is thin and about two-thirds the length of the 

 abdomen. In colour they are often bright green. 



The pupae have very long cylindrical siphons, and are green 

 in colour ; in life the upper two-thirds of the siphons are black 

 or dark grey, in striking contrast to the rest of the body of the 

 pupa, which is very transparent, especially just after metamor- 

 phosis, only the eye-spots and siphons being pigmented. 



Economic importance. This small black mosquito is a most 

 troublesome pest in swamps, especially in the local mangrove 

 swamps around Kingston ; but it also invades houses where, on 

 account of its small size, ordinary mosquito-netting is of no 

 protection against it. The female bites at all times of the day 

 and night, the bites causing very severe irritation. The same 

 species does not appear to annoy man in Brazil. 



16. GRABHAMIA JAMAICENSIS. Theobald. 

 (Mono. Culicid. I., p. 345, 1901, and HI., p. 243, 1903.) 



General appearance. Head brown, with narrow - curved 

 cinereous scales and black upright forked ones, flat black and 

 white ones laterally ; palpi brown, with some yellowish scales, 

 apex white ; proboscis black at the tip and base, the middle with 

 yellowish scales. Thorax dark brown, with four patches of 

 creamy scales, the median ones round, the others oval ; there are 

 also pale scales before the scutellum. Abdomen dark brown, 

 with pale-scaled apical bands, those of the second segment 

 forming a triangular patch, the next four with patches broken in 

 the middle ; apical segment mostly black ; venter yellow scaled. 

 Legs brown, banded and speckled with yellowish scales ; some of 

 the tarsi basally banded white, a distinct band on the middle of 

 the metatarsi and a pale apical femoral ring. 



Wings with black and white or creamy scales, a small patch 

 of black scales forming a spot at the base of the third long vein ; 

 ungues of the female equal and simple ; in the male the fore and 

 mid are unequal, the larger fore unguis is biser rated, the smaller 



