﻿MOSQUITO 
  NOTES 
  — 
  III. 
  83 
  

  

  In 
  its 
  thoracic 
  ornamentation 
  this 
  species 
  shows 
  a 
  closer 
  approach 
  to 
  A 
  . 
  argenteus 
  

   than 
  does 
  any 
  other 
  known 
  African 
  species. 
  From 
  A. 
  apicoargentea, 
  the 
  only 
  other 
  

   African 
  species 
  with 
  similar 
  scutellar 
  scaling, 
  A. 
  woodi 
  differs 
  in 
  leg-markings 
  and 
  

   in 
  other 
  respects. 
  

  

  D. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Grouping 
  of 
  the 
  Ethiopian 
  Species 
  of 
  Culex, 
  with 
  Notes 
  on 
  

  

  Certain 
  Species. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  my 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  African 
  species 
  of 
  Culex, 
  much 
  work 
  

   has 
  been 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  genus 
  ; 
  many 
  new 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  described, 
  and 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  number 
  have 
  been 
  reared 
  from 
  larvae. 
  More 
  recently 
  a 
  fresh 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  

   adults 
  has 
  enabled 
  me 
  to 
  discover 
  additional 
  characters 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  valuable 
  

   for 
  the 
  separation 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  into 
  groups, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  discrimination 
  of 
  some 
  

   closely-allied 
  forms. 
  We 
  are 
  therefore 
  now 
  in 
  a 
  much 
  better 
  position 
  for 
  arriving 
  

   at 
  a 
  natural 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  would 
  now 
  define 
  the 
  genus, 
  it 
  should 
  include 
  Culiciomyia, 
  Eumelanomyia, 
  

   Protomelanoconion 
  and 
  Micraedes, 
  but, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  Culex 
  tigripes 
  should 
  be 
  

   transferred 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Lutzia, 
  which 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  convenient 
  to 
  recognise 
  as 
  distinct 
  

   from 
  Culex. 
  For 
  the 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  in 
  a 
  natural 
  manner, 
  the 
  most 
  

   reliable 
  characters 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  hypopygium, 
  and 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  below, 
  there 
  are 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  interesting 
  cases 
  of 
  the 
  correlation 
  between 
  these 
  

   structures 
  and 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  larval 
  morphology. 
  However, 
  to 
  base 
  a 
  classification 
  

   entirely 
  or 
  even 
  mainly 
  on 
  the 
  male 
  genital 
  characters 
  is 
  very 
  inconvenient, 
  and 
  

   I 
  have 
  therefore 
  searched 
  for 
  others 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  applicable 
  to 
  both 
  sexes. 
  

   Although 
  much 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  done, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  useful 
  now 
  to 
  mention 
  the 
  results 
  so 
  

   far 
  obtained. 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  important 
  distinction 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  

   few 
  cases 
  the 
  duplication, 
  of 
  the 
  bristle 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  mesepimeron. 
  I 
  

   have 
  already 
  used 
  this 
  character 
  for 
  the 
  separation 
  of 
  Lutzia 
  from 
  Culex, 
  the 
  former 
  

   genus 
  having 
  at 
  least 
  six 
  lower 
  mesepimeral 
  bristles, 
  while 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  0-4, 
  

   but 
  generally 
  one. 
  It 
  now 
  appears 
  that 
  a 
  further 
  use 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  these 
  bristles 
  

   in 
  dividing 
  up 
  the 
  genus 
  Culex. 
  

  

  Another 
  point 
  of 
  importance 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  scales 
  on 
  the 
  pleurae. 
  Too 
  

   little 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  this 
  by 
  previous 
  writers 
  (myself 
  included). 
  It 
  

   would 
  seem 
  from 
  my 
  recent 
  studies 
  that 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  scales 
  on 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  pleurae 
  is 
  constant 
  for 
  each 
  species. 
  The 
  scales 
  are 
  of 
  course 
  

   liable 
  to 
  denudation, 
  and 
  only 
  perfect 
  specimens 
  can 
  be 
  discussed 
  in 
  this 
  respect, 
  

   but 
  the 
  pleural 
  scales 
  are 
  better 
  protected 
  and 
  therefore 
  less 
  easily 
  denuded 
  than 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  mesonotum. 
  The 
  two 
  areas 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  importance 
  

   in 
  this 
  connection 
  are 
  the 
  mesepimeron, 
  and 
  the 
  area 
  immediately 
  behind 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   thoracic 
  spiracle. 
  The 
  latter 
  area 
  (post-spiracular) 
  is 
  never 
  completely 
  covered 
  

   with 
  scales 
  in 
  Culex, 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  species 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  patch 
  of 
  flat 
  white 
  scales 
  on 
  its 
  

   anterior 
  margin, 
  adjoining 
  the 
  spiracle. 
  The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  patch 
  of 
  scales 
  on 
  the 
  

   mesepimeron 
  varies 
  with 
  the 
  species, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  it 
  is 
  entirely 
  absent. 
  

  

  The 
  palpi 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  often 
  provide 
  useful 
  specific 
  distinctions, 
  in 
  their 
  length 
  

   (relatively 
  to 
  the 
  clypeus 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  proboscis) 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  proportionate 
  lengths 
  and 
  

   breadths 
  of 
  their 
  segments. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  distinctions 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  are 
  quite 
  

   marked 
  even 
  between 
  closely 
  allied 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  Ethiopian 
  species 
  of 
  Culex 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  four 
  main 
  groups, 
  to 
  which 
  

   must 
  be 
  added, 
  perhaps 
  as 
  distinct 
  subgenera, 
  the 
  four 
  other 
  minor 
  groups, 
  Proto- 
  

   melanoconion, 
  Micraedes, 
  Culiciomyia 
  and 
  Eumelanomyia, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  show 
  affinity 
  

   in 
  one 
  way 
  or 
  another 
  with 
  the 
  fourth 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  groups. 
  These 
  groups 
  may 
  be 
  

   briefly 
  considered. 
  

  

  (6160) 
  f2 
  

  

  