﻿115 
  

  

  A 
  REMARKABLE 
  MOSQUITO, 
  OPIFEX 
  FUSCUS, 
  HUTTON. 
  

  

  By 
  David 
  Miller, 
  F.E.S., 
  

   New 
  Zealand 
  Government 
  Entomologist. 
  

  

  When 
  carrying 
  out 
  an 
  investigation 
  into 
  the 
  mosquitos 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand,* 
  the 
  

   writer 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  species 
  bred 
  in 
  saline 
  and 
  semi-saline 
  pools 
  above 
  

   high 
  water 
  mark 
  along 
  the 
  rocky 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Island 
  coast 
  line. 
  For 
  some 
  

   time 
  it 
  was 
  considered 
  that 
  this 
  mosquito 
  was 
  unrecorded, 
  but 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  Hutton 
  

   described 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  Tipulid 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  Opifex 
  fnscus.] 
  This 
  was 
  pointed 
  out 
  

   to 
  me 
  both 
  by 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  V. 
  Hudson, 
  of 
  Wellington, 
  who 
  is 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  Hutton's 
  

   Tipulid 
  types 
  and 
  had 
  seen 
  the 
  illustrations 
  here 
  reproduced, 
  and 
  later 
  on 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  F. 
  W. 
  Edwards, 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  who 
  published 
  a 
  short 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   insect 
  from 
  material 
  recently 
  sent 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hudson. 
  J 
  

  

  So 
  remarkable 
  are 
  the 
  adult 
  and 
  pre-adult 
  characters 
  of 
  this 
  mosquito, 
  that 
  the 
  

   writer 
  considers 
  there 
  are 
  sufficient 
  grounds 
  for 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  sub-family 
  

   for 
  its 
  reception. 
  The 
  following 
  is 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  and 
  pre-adult 
  stages 
  with 
  

   a 
  revised 
  outline 
  of 
  the 
  generic 
  characters. 
  

  

  Subfamily 
  Opificixae, 
  nov. 
  

  

  Scales 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  scutellum 
  flat 
  ; 
  male 
  antennae 
  not 
  plumose 
  ; 
  male 
  palpi 
  

   not 
  quite 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  proboscis, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  short 
  ; 
  proboscis 
  slightly 
  

   recurved 
  ; 
  scutellum 
  trilobed 
  ; 
  cell 
  R 
  2 
  of 
  wing 
  slightly 
  longer 
  than 
  cell 
  M 
  2 
  . 
  

  

  This 
  subfamily 
  is 
  apparently 
  near 
  the 
  Megarhininae 
  of 
  Theobald, 
  which 
  it 
  

   resembles 
  in 
  the 
  flat 
  scales 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  scutellum 
  ; 
  the 
  slightly 
  recurved 
  proboscis 
  

   also 
  approaches 
  the 
  strongly 
  recurved 
  form 
  characteristic 
  of 
  that 
  subfamily, 
  to 
  

   one 
  genus 
  of 
  which 
  also 
  (Toxorhynchites) 
  the 
  short 
  palpi 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  bear 
  some 
  

   resemblance. 
  The 
  relative 
  lengths 
  of 
  cells 
  R 
  2 
  and 
  M 
  2 
  , 
  however, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  antennae 
  exclude 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  Megarhininae. 
  

  

  Genus 
  Opifex, 
  Hutton. 
  

  

  Antennae 
  of 
  male 
  not 
  plumose, 
  the 
  third, 
  fourth 
  and 
  fifth 
  joints 
  each 
  with 
  a 
  distinct 
  

   dorsal 
  spine 
  arising 
  from 
  a 
  pronounced 
  basal 
  swelling. 
  Palpi 
  of 
  male 
  clubbed 
  at 
  the 
  

   apex, 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  proboscis, 
  which 
  is 
  slightly 
  curved 
  backwards 
  ; 
  

   neither 
  proboscis 
  nor 
  palpi 
  conspicuously 
  haired. 
  Antennae 
  of 
  female 
  without 
  

   the 
  three 
  spines 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  ; 
  palpi 
  very 
  short. 
  Clvpeus 
  globular. 
  Occiput 
  

   clothed 
  with 
  flat 
  scales. 
  Legs 
  of 
  female 
  normal, 
  the 
  front 
  pair 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  short 
  and 
  

   stout, 
  their 
  claws 
  simple 
  but 
  very 
  long. 
  Scutellum 
  trilobed, 
  clothed 
  with 
  flat 
  scales 
  

   and 
  long 
  bristles 
  ; 
  metanotum 
  bare. 
  Wings 
  with 
  base 
  of 
  cell 
  R 
  2 
  somewhat 
  anterior 
  

   to 
  that 
  of 
  cell 
  M 
  2 
  , 
  the 
  former 
  a 
  little 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  latter 
  ; 
  cross-vein 
  r-m 
  anterior 
  

   to 
  origin 
  of 
  vein 
  R 
  4 
  + 
  5 
  ; 
  cross-vein 
  m-cu 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  its 
  own 
  length 
  posterior 
  

   to 
  cross-vein 
  r-m. 
  

  

  Opifex 
  fuscus, 
  Hutton. 
  

  

  cJ. 
  General 
  colour 
  blackish. 
  Occiput 
  cinereous, 
  with 
  a 
  pronounced 
  median 
  

   iissure 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  vertex 
  to 
  a 
  prominence 
  above 
  the 
  foramen 
  ; 
  uniformly 
  

   clothed, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  fissure, 
  with 
  white 
  flat 
  scales 
  (fig. 
  1, 
  a) 
  ; 
  bristles 
  of 
  posterior 
  

  

  * 
  Miller, 
  D., 
  " 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Mosquito 
  Investigation," 
  pt. 
  1, 
  N. 
  Z. 
  Dept. 
  of 
  Health 
  Bull., 
  

   no. 
  3 
  (1920). 
  

  

  t 
  Hutton, 
  F. 
  W., 
  Trans. 
  N. 
  Z. 
  Inst., 
  xxxiv, 
  p. 
  188 
  (19.12'. 
  

   j 
  Edwards, 
  F. 
  W„ 
  Bull. 
  Ent. 
  Res., 
  xii, 
  p. 
  73 
  (1921). 
  

  

  (6160) 
  H 
  2 
  

  

  