272 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Nov. , 'o2 



As to breeding places, it prefers woodland springs and pools, 

 or ditches carrying spring water, It is almost universal in 

 pools formed by crossing a road, and is essentially a cold-water 

 species. I have never seen the larva in stagnant open water, 

 and have never received it from such localities. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LARVA. 



In its earlier stages the little larva is quite characteristic and readily 

 recognized. The head is black, body slate gray, varying a little in tint, 

 and the neck is somewhat contrasting pale ; looks almost as if the larva 

 had on a white collar. The anal siphon is large in proportion to the 

 insect, and is stout rather than long. The slaty color persists during life, 

 but the white collar disappears and the head is brown rather than black. 

 It is altogether a stout larva and very active, the anal siphon stout in 

 proportion to its length and shortest just before the change to the pupa. 

 The head is convex above, flattening toward the front, of moderate size, 

 a little transverse, the sides evenly rounded to the nearly straight front. 

 In color it is yellowish brown or darker, with irregular blackish markings 

 turning toward the centre or the front. The eyes are large, transverse 

 and black or blackish. The antennae are as long as tiie head, a little 

 curved, stouter at base, narrowing very gradually, outer two-thirds darker 

 though hardly black, rather bluntly terminated and sparsely set with 

 small spines which become larger and more obvious outwardly. There 

 is a large pit or puncture within the basal half from which arises a long, 

 black bristly hair tuft, which reaches almost to the tip. At the tip there 

 is one long bristly hair, and at its base arise several smaller, stifi spines. 

 Mouth brushes as usual, the mentum triangular, its edges toothed. 

 Thorax enlarged, almost circular in outline, convex, the lateral hair tufts 

 prominent and about as long as the thorax is wide. Abdomen cylindri- 

 cal, about half the diameter of thorax, tapering a little, the .segments not 

 deeply incised. The lateral hair tufts are somewhat sparse, shorter than 

 those of thorax, becoming less obvious backward. The air tube is smoky 

 brown, cylindrical, stout, of medium length, tapering somewhat from its 

 middle to the tip. In the mounted ca.st skin the tube is about 2)4 times 

 as long as wide ; but in the larva just before it is full-grown, the tube ia 

 nearly t,'A times as long as it is wide ; the double row of teeth short and 

 extending less than half the length of the tube. The last segment is 

 about as long as wide, chitinous, brown, the fringe ol black hair tufting 

 long and more sparse above. The anal processes are slender, short and 

 inconspicuous. The pupa offers nothing out of the norm;it, so f;ir ;is my 

 observation extends. 



The adult is rather easily recognized by the distinctly white 

 banded tarsi, the terminal joint of jHJSteriors wliitc, by the 



