118 



its eggs mainly in natural ponds; most probably this generation has several 

 broods, the egg-rafts being not all laid simultaneously, the males die off after the 

 mating process but the females from all these broods return to our cellars and 

 hibernate there. 



The biology has never been more thoroughly studied. All authors agree with 

 regard to the remarkably high susceptibility to domestication, breeding places in 

 Nature not being found hitherto. THEOBALD (1901 p. 335) states that both $ and 

 ? hibernate but this has never been ascertained. I have observed this species in 

 many localities of hibernation but I have never seen a single male in winter or 

 early spring. With regard to the nourishment I refer to the following chapter. 



Geographical distribution: According to THEOBALD (1901 p. 334) it is 

 common throughout Europe, from Scandinavia to Italy; it also occurs in India, 

 at 5000 feet above sea level. OSTEN-SACKEN states that it is also said to occur in 

 North America, but by HOWARD, DYAR and KNAB (1915 p. 496) the American species 

 are regarded as another species (Culiseta Dugesi). 



Genus VI. Culicella. 



1. Culicella morsitans (Theobald). 

 Tab. XVIII XIX. 



Description. Female. Proboscis long, uniform, pale near base, labellae 

 conically tapered almost black with some few bronzy yellow scales; palpi short; al- 

 most black, apex yellowish-white. 'Antennae brown, joints subequal, rugose, pilose, 

 second joint slightly enlarged, hairs of whorls rather long, spinose; tori sub- 

 spherical, bright ferrugineous. Occiput dark brown covered with yellowish-white 

 scales denser towards the sides; margins of eyes white scaled; many slender erect 

 forked black scales; setas along margin of eyes curved, black. 



Prothoracic lobes elliptical, remote dorsally with narrow yellow scales and 

 many black seta3; mesonotum brown, with a median and two shorter curved late- 

 ral, rather indistinct and varying lines of bright bronzy-brown or creamy scales, 

 which are also found on the sides of the mesonotum. Scutellum trilobate, brown, 

 clothed with narrow 7 curved shining yellow scales: each lobe with a large group of 

 brown bristles; postnotum pale, clear chestnut brown pruinose, nude; pleura brown, 

 covered with spots of creamy almost snow-white scales. 



Abdomen subcylindrical, depressed, truncate at tip; dusky brown, covered with 

 fuscuous scales and with basal creamy yellow bands; their posterior borders edged 

 with pale hairs; venter covered with pale yellow scales. 



Legs long, slender, dark, almost black; coxse, bases and ventral surfaces of 

 the femora more pallid; knee spots snow-white, tibiae black, apices of the tibiae 

 yellow, base of all tarsal joints narrowly banded, all the bands are very narrow, 



