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THE SYNONYMY OF ANOPHELES CHRISTOPHERSI, THEO., 

 AND A. INDEFINITA, LUDL. 



By C. S. Ludlow, 

 Army Medical Museum, Washington, B.C. 



For some time an Anopheline found in the eastern tropics has been accumulating 

 names in a most unfortunate way, and as the mosquito has proven to be a very active 

 carrier of malaria, and I myself am partly to blame for this multiplication of names, 

 it seems fit that I should try to untangle the s3rnonymy. 



When the study of Philippine mosquitos was in its infancy, there was sent in to me 

 an Anopheline which, according to the only authority available at the time,* seemed 

 to be Anopheles funestus, Giles. This Anophehne is common in the Islands and was 

 early seen to be so usually collected in connection with the report of malaria that 

 in 1908f I recorded that it " is taken always when malaria is present or prevalent," 

 and this was so conspicuous that I stated " one specimen in a collection is enough to 

 lead to a suspicion that malaria is present, and even a small number of them is usually 

 accompanied or immediately followed by new cases, the number (of cases) depending 

 largely on the prophylactic control of the station." 



Nothing occurred to suggest to me that an error had been made in referring this 

 species to A. funestus until the spring of 1912, when in discussing some PhiUppine 

 mosquitos with Dr. Malcolm Watson, Chief Medical Ofiicer, Estate Hospital Associa- 

 tion, Klang, F.M.S., who was in Washington at that time, he called my attention to 

 the fact that the dark species under consideration had a hght ventral apical portion 

 on the proboscis, and it seemed-possible that it was an undescribed species. I gave 

 Dr. Watson specimens of various Philippine mosquitos which he took to Mr. F. W. 

 Edwards (British Museum) for confirmation of my naming, and at once wrote me that 

 what I had caWed funestus, Giles, was really christophersi, Theo. In the meantime 

 I had pubhshed a description of the dark specimens as Myzomyia flavirostris. 



Mr. Edwards also kindly wrote me in regard to the matter, saying there could be 

 no doubt as to the naming of the species, especially as Mr. Theobald's types in the 

 British Museum were " fortunately in good condition. The type of christophersi 

 has two broad apical palpal bands hke your funesta. On the other hand hoihfunesta, 

 Giles, and listoni, List on, have female palpi with three narrow bands," and in a later 

 letter with reference to specimens I had sent him, Mr. Edwards wTites : " Your 

 M. funesta, Giles," and '' M. flavirostris, Ludl., both, as you suggest, = christophersi''' 



In preparing the MS. of " Bulletin No. 4, Surgeon- General's Office," in 1913, as 

 this species had heretofore been reported to the Medical Corps, U.S. Army, as 

 " M. funesta,"" it seemed wise to retain the name and Giles' description and add a foot- 



* Giles, G. M. — Gnats or Mosquitos. 1st Edition. 



t Ludlow, C. S. — Mosquitos of the PhiUppine Islands, the distribution of certain species, 

 and their occurrence in relation to certain diseases. 1908. 



