Mr. Theobald's Classification of Mosquitoes 



The Chironomidce or midges have neither a long sucking pro- 

 boscis nor scaly wings. 



The Cecidomyidce or gall-midges have the body and wings 

 covered with hairs, not scales, and the venation of the wings is 

 simple, no fork-cells being present. 



The Psychodidce or owl-midges have the wings densely covered 

 with hairs, not scales. 



The Simulidce, Tipulidce, etc., have the wing-veins bare, without 

 hairs or scales. 



There is really no difficulty, therefore, in distinguishing mos- 

 quitoes from other flies which seem to resemble them. \ 



The family Culicidce is divided, for the purposes of classification, 

 into a number of sub-families, genera, and species. Up to the 

 present, entomologists have based these subdivisions entirely upon 

 differences in the adult insects, but there are good reasons for 

 thinking that differences between mosquitoes in the larval or imma- 

 ture stages of their existence are also of great importance for the 

 purposes of classification and identification. The larvae of only a 

 few species are, however, accurately known, and at present we must 

 be content to follow, at any rate in the main, the somewhat 

 unscientific methods of classification adopted by entomologists. 



Mr. F. V. Theobald, who is the greatest authority upon 

 mosquitoes, divides them into the following sub-families : 



1. The Anophelina containing at present 11 genera and about 80 species. 



2. The Megarhinina ,, 2 ,, ,, 20 ,, 



3. The Culicina . 17 numerous 



4. The Joblotina 1 genus 1 



5. The Heptaphlebomyina,, ,, 1 > 1 



6. The Aedeomyina 20 genera about 55 



7. The Corethrina ., ,, 2 ,, ,, ,, 18 ,, 



The characteristics of the adult insects upon which these sub- 

 families are based are as follow : 



1. Palpi long in both sexes ; about as long as proboscis Anophehna. 

 2. Palpi long in both sexes ; shorter than the proboscis 



in the female ; proboscis long and bent ... Megarhinina. 



3. Palpi long in the male, very short in the female ... Culicina. 



4. Palpi as in Culicina. Seven instead of six longitudi- 



nal veins on the wings ... Heptaphlebomyina. 



5 Palpi as in Culicina. Metanotum with hairs and scales Joblotina. 



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