THEOBALDIA, CULEX 575 



d'Entomologie, 1911, ii, pp. 145-170, F. V. Theobald. In addition to being the 

 yellow fever carrier, it is supposed by Wenyon to be the intermediate host of the 

 parasite of Bagdad sore. 



Stegomyia scutellaris, Walker. 



A vicious biter, found in India, China, Malay, East Indies, and Ceylon. The 

 thorax has one median silvery stripe, and so can easily be told from S.fasciata. 



A very similar species occurs in Fiji, but can be told by the pleurae having white 

 lines, not spots (S. pseudoscutellaris, Theobald). It is the intermediate host of 

 filaria in Fiji (Bahr). 



A number of nearly allied genera occur here (vide synoptic table). 



Genus. Theobald ia, Neveu-Lemaire. 

 Theobaldinella, Blanchard. 



Includes several large Culicines, of which T. annulata, Meigen, is the type. The 

 wings are usually spotted (annulata, incidens, etc.), but may be nearly plain (spathi- 

 palpis). The males have the palpi swollen apically, and the females have long 

 five-jointed palps. 



Several of these are vicious biters. 



Theobaldia annulata, Meigen. 



This large gnat (6 mm. long) can be told by its wings having five large spots of 

 dark scales and by its legs having broad basal white bands to the tarsi. The larvae 

 occur in rain barrels and small pools. It is essentially a domestic form, occurring in 

 houses and privies. Its distribution is Europe generally and North America. The 

 bite is very severe, and in some districts gives rise to painful oedema. 1 



Theobaldia spathipalpis, Rondani, occurs in Italy, Mediterranean Islands, 

 Palestine, the Himalayas, Khartoum, and in South Africa. It is about the same size 

 as T. annulata, but is yellowish-brown in colour, with striped thorax and mottled and 

 banded legs. It occurs in privies and bites very severely. 



Genus. Culex, Linnaeus. 



" Syst. Nat. Ed.," 1758, x, Linnneus ; "Mono. Culicid.," 1901, i, p. 326 ; 

 1910, v, p. 322, Theobald. 



This large genus still contains many forms which should be excluded. The 

 species normally have narrow curved median head- scales, and similar ones on the 



FIG. 400. Wing of a Culex. 



scutellum ; the female palpi are shorter than in the former genus and the male 

 palpi are pointed ; the lateral vein-scales are narrow and linear. 



The type is Culex pipiens, Linn., the common gnat of Europe. The thorax 



1 Theobald, "Second Report on Economic Zoology," 1903, p. 9. 



