X] DESCRIPTION 167 



in the median line extending from in front back to the neck. The scales at 

 the back of the head are in the form of long black bristles and project forward. 

 The eyes are black surrounded by a white border and sometimes contain 

 white patches. 



The antennae are brown, excepting the basal segment, which is black with 

 a patch of white scales on its inner side. They are longer than the proboscis 

 and have a banded appearance. The proboscis is brown, almost black towards 

 the extremity, but lighter about the middle. The palps are black, and only 

 about one-third the length of the proboscis ; each is composed of three seg- 

 ments covered with large flat scales, those of the first two being brown, and 

 silvery-white on the last segment. 



The dark-brown thorax is covered with reddish-brown, pale-golden and 

 cream-coloured scales and is ornamented with various white spots and 

 lines. In front, near the neck, there is a white spot on each side. The dorsal 

 surface has a white, broad curved band on each side extending from the 

 anterior edge of the thorax and curving inwards about the middle of the 

 mesonotum, from which it is continued backwards as a thinner pale line to 

 the scutellum. Between them are two parallel pale lines extending about 

 half way across the mesonotum and on to the scutellum, and anteriorly is a 

 short white line between these two. The scutellum has a thick row of white 

 scales and also three tufts of bristles. The metanotum is brown. The 

 pleurae are dark-brown with several patches of white scales. 



There is much variation in both the size and colour of the thoracic scales 

 and many of the varieties have been described as distinct species. The 

 arrangement of the ornamentation is however very constant and will serve 

 to distinguish fasciata from any other species of the genus Stegomyia. 



The abdomen is brownish-black, circled with a white band at the base 

 of each segment ; the posterior four bands before the last one are more or 

 less tinged with yellow. There is a triangular white spot on the sides of each 

 segment, and in addition the first segment is almost covered with cream- 

 coloured scales and edged with pale hairs. 



The legs are brown, circled with white. The coxae are yellowish. The 

 femurs are yellowish towards the base, brown towards the apex, but with 

 white scales on the ventral surface, and finally the extreme tip is pure white. 

 Those of the third pair are swollen at the extremity. The tibiae are black. 

 The metatarsi have basal white bands. The fore tarsi have the first joint 

 basally white and the rest black ; the mid tarsi are the same. The hind tarsi 

 are all basally white except the last joint, which is white, and the penultimate 

 segment, which is white with the exception of a black apex. The claws of 

 the first two pairs of legs are toothed and those of the hinder pair without 

 teeth. 



The wings are clear, unspotted, a little longer than the abdomen, with 

 brown scales, those of the lateral nervures being very long and narrow, and 

 of the median, short and broad. The first sub-marginal cell is longer and 

 only slightly narrower than the second posterior cell, and the base of the 

 former is a little nearer the base of the wing than the latter. The posterior 

 cross-vein is about one and a half to twice its length distant from the mid 

 cross-vein. The latter unites with the supernumerary forming a very obtuse 

 angle, almost straight. The balancers are ochraceous and sometimes the 

 knob is slightly fuscous. 



The length is 3-5 to 5-0 mm. 



