OTHER NEMATOCERA 43! 



Genus Acartomyia, Theob. 



Mono. Culicid., iii., p. 251, 1903. 



A single species, A. zammtii, Theob., only known, which occurs in large 

 numbers, breeding in salt pans along the shore line in Malta. It bites 

 severely. 



The genus differs from Grabhamia, to which it is nearest related, by 

 having irregular flat scales over the head, not closely applied as in Stegomyia, 

 but loose and irregular. It is possible that there is a connection between 

 this species and Mediterranean fever. 



Several of the ^deomyina bite, especially the small Uranotcenias. They 

 are all sylvan species, seldom entering houses. They need not therefore 

 be referred to here. 



For full details of the Culicid genera and species the reader is referred 

 to my Monograph, 1 and my recent work in genera Insectorum (1905). 



Other NEMATOCERA. 



Other Nematocerous flies are midges, daddy-long-legs and sand-flies. The 

 ones which cause annoyance to man besides Culicidce are the following : 



Sand-flies, Simulida ; certain Midges, Chironomtdce, and a few Owl midges, 

 PsychodidcB. 



The Nematocera have long thread-like jointed antennae and. their pupae 

 are, as a rule, naked ; the larvae have a distinct head and can thus be 

 told from the next section (Brachycera). 



Sand-flies or Sinmlidce. 



[These flies are also known as black flies, buffalo gnats, and sometimes 

 are wrongly called mosquitoes. One genus only exists, viz., Simulium. 

 They occur from Iceland to the Tropics and often swarm in damp places. 

 Their bite is very severe and produces intense pain both in animals and 

 man. They are all dark coloured, small flies, stoutly built, with largish 

 wings ; the first, second and third veins dark, the rest pale ; legs stout 

 and compressed, unarmed. 



The larvae are aquatic and hold on to stones, grass and water weeds, 

 twigs and roots. When young they are transparent, usually later becoming 

 grey or brt>wn ; they prefer running water to still, attaching themselves by 

 a number of hooklets on the posterior part of the body ; they thus hang 

 head downwards and collect food by the aid of a pair of fan-like scoops 

 upon either side of the head ; on the ventral surface of the thorax is a 

 kind of proleg used for movement, the larva progressing much after the 

 manner of a " canker-worm " or " looper-larva." They have also the power 

 of forming a silken cord, with the aid of which they drop slowly down 

 the stream until a fresh foothold is secured. 



The pupal stage is passed in a small shoe-shaped cocoon open at one end, 



1 " A Monograph of the Culicidse of the World," 2 vols. and atlas, 1901. and vol. 3 

 and plates, 1903. British Museum (Nat. Hist.). 



