﻿129 
  

  

  THE 
  BIONOMICS 
  OF 
  SOME 
  MALAYAN 
  ANOPHELINES. 
  

  

  By 
  W. 
  A. 
  Lamborn, 
  

  

  Medical 
  Entomologist, 
  Malaria 
  Bureau, 
  Federated 
  Malay 
  States. 
  

  

  A 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  breeding 
  experiments 
  were 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  at 
  the 
  Malaria 
  

   Bureau, 
  F.M.S., 
  between 
  April 
  1920 
  and 
  April 
  1921 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  obtaining 
  in 
  bred 
  

   families 
  a 
  sufficiency 
  of 
  Anophelines 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  study 
  which 
  might 
  perhaps 
  

   set 
  at 
  rest, 
  once 
  and 
  for 
  all, 
  various 
  long-vexed 
  questions 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  validity 
  of 
  certain 
  

   species 
  ; 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  obtaining 
  further 
  data 
  than 
  were 
  previously 
  available 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  bionomics 
  of 
  the 
  insects. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  former 
  object 
  it 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  recognised, 
  for 
  instance, 
  that 
  

   A 
  . 
  hyrcanus 
  exhibits 
  a 
  very 
  considerable 
  degree 
  of 
  variation 
  as 
  to 
  leg 
  banding, 
  colour 
  

   of 
  scaling 
  on 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  size 
  of 
  ventral 
  tuft, 
  which 
  may 
  even 
  be 
  absent. 
  A 
  not 
  

   uncommon 
  form 
  of 
  this 
  mosquito 
  occurs 
  with 
  leg 
  banding 
  so 
  broad 
  that 
  a 
  difference 
  

   of 
  opinion 
  has 
  arisen 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  an 
  insect 
  so 
  characterised 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  accorded 
  

   specific 
  rank, 
  or 
  should 
  be 
  treated 
  possibly 
  as 
  a 
  geographical 
  race 
  or 
  a 
  variation. 
  

   The 
  case 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  interesting 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  the 
  polymorphism 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  

   this 
  species. 
  A 
  similar 
  difficulty 
  has 
  arisen 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  relationship, 
  if 
  any, 
  

   between 
  A. 
  subpictus 
  var. 
  malayensis 
  (until 
  recently 
  called 
  A. 
  rossi, 
  Giles, 
  in 
  the 
  

   F.M.S.), 
  and 
  A. 
  vagus, 
  which 
  until 
  quite 
  recently 
  was 
  considered 
  as 
  being 
  the 
  var. 
  

   indefinitus 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  species. 
  The 
  females 
  of 
  A. 
  aconitus 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   lacking 
  the 
  first 
  black 
  palpal 
  band, 
  a 
  character 
  more 
  pronounced 
  than 
  some 
  of 
  those 
  

   which 
  have 
  determined 
  the 
  bestowal 
  of 
  specific 
  rank. 
  A. 
  maculatus 
  is 
  recorded 
  as 
  

   showing 
  variations 
  ; 
  and 
  more 
  recently 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  variations 
  

   of 
  A. 
  umbrosus. 
  

  

  Such 
  variations, 
  apart 
  from 
  their 
  great 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  student 
  of 
  heredity 
  and 
  

   variation, 
  may 
  well 
  have 
  considerable 
  practical 
  importance 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  indeterminate 
  

   status 
  of 
  such 
  Anophelines 
  may 
  serve 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  discrepancies 
  in 
  the 
  results 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  various 
  workers 
  seeking 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  relative 
  malaria-carrying 
  

   powers 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  species, 
  and 
  their 
  apparent 
  harmlessness 
  in 
  one 
  country, 
  or 
  

   in 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  their 
  notoriety 
  in 
  another. 
  A. 
  hyrcanus, 
  for 
  instance, 
  credited 
  

   in 
  the 
  F.M.S. 
  (where 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  variable) 
  with 
  being 
  a 
  harmless 
  species, 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  

   be 
  an 
  active 
  malaria 
  carrier 
  in 
  Japan 
  and 
  China, 
  in 
  which 
  countries, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   writer 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain 
  by 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  some 
  hundreds 
  of 
  larvae 
  and 
  

   adults, 
  far 
  less 
  variation 
  exists. 
  It 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  forms 
  are 
  distinct 
  species, 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  north, 
  extending 
  sparingly 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  being 
  a 
  more 
  active 
  carrier 
  of 
  

   malaria 
  than 
  the 
  southern 
  forms. 
  Such 
  breeding 
  work, 
  the 
  only 
  true 
  test 
  of 
  species, 
  

   is 
  therefore 
  essential 
  as 
  a 
  preliminary 
  to 
  any 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  

   malaria-carrying 
  properties 
  of 
  such 
  species. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  hoped 
  that 
  the 
  questions 
  of 
  taxonomy 
  will 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  elsewhere 
  by 
  an 
  

   authority 
  on 
  the 
  matter, 
  the 
  writer 
  feeling 
  strongly 
  that 
  such 
  points 
  are 
  best 
  left 
  to 
  

   systematists 
  to 
  deal 
  with, 
  attempts 
  by 
  those 
  inexperienced 
  in 
  this 
  special 
  direction, 
  

   and 
  away 
  from 
  ample 
  literature, 
  tending 
  to 
  make 
  confusion 
  worse 
  confounded. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  following 
  pages 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  set 
  forth 
  only 
  the 
  facts 
  of 
  bionomic 
  interest 
  

   ascertained, 
  with 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  included 
  descriptions 
  of 
  Anopheline 
  ova 
  by 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  T. 
  

   Stanton, 
  who 
  has 
  most 
  kindly 
  allowed 
  his 
  data 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  making 
  

   the 
  notes 
  as 
  full 
  as 
  possible. 
  The 
  -cfrawings 
  were 
  executed 
  for 
  him 
  by 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  W. 
  Blair. 
  

   It 
  will 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  investigation 
  are 
  sketched 
  out 
  rather 
  than 
  

   fully 
  developed, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  data 
  given 
  make 
  no 
  pretence 
  to 
  be 
  exhaustive 
  ; 
  their 
  

   presentation 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  unexpected 
  transfer 
  of 
  the 
  writer 
  to 
  another 
  

   sphere 
  of 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  (6750) 
  Wt.P.6/200 
  1000 
  7/22 
  Harrow 
  G.75 
  I 
  

  

  