256 K. W. EDWARDS — THE AFEICAN 



mid-scutellar bristles, as usual, is variable in this species, and as a matter of face 

 there are only 6, udt 8, in the type of C. cinerea. I cannot help thinking, how- 

 ever, that the (^ described as C. nigrochaetae was in reality Taeniorhynclms 

 metallicus. Culex invenustus is probably the same species, but as I have not seen 

 the type I have used the name nehulosa, which was published a page later in the 

 same paper as C. invenustus. C. invenustus is said to have the thorax covered 

 with flat scales (a character which is not found in any Culex I have seen), and to 

 have the fore and mid femora swollen. If the former statement is an error, and 

 the latter simply due to the femora having become flattened (a frequent 

 occurrence), there cannot be much doubt that the specimen described as C. 

 invenustus was a C. nebulosa var. pseudocinerea. 



C. nehulosa appears to be one of the commonest of the Culicidae in West 

 Africa, and extends into the Congo Free State, Uganda and Mashonaland. 



Genus Culex, Linn. 

 Syst. Nat. Ed. X (1758). 

 Culex, as now restricted, is one of the easiest genera to recognise in the male, 

 but the females are sometimes not easily distinguished from those of TaeniurJiyn- 

 chus, etc. The genus includes only those species whose males have palpi and 

 ungues similar in structure to those of C. pipiens. The mere upward curvature 

 of the palpi may not be considered of importance, but as far as the writer has 

 seen it seems to be perfectly constant, and when once understood forms the 

 easiest character by which to distinguish a species of true Culex from one 

 belonging to an allied genus. The structure and form of the cJ palpi will be 

 understood by a glance at the figure of C. quasigelidus cj" (p. 258). The genus Culex, 

 in this sense, includes Lutzia, Theo., Apo7-oculex, Theo., Leucomyia, Theo. (except 

 L. scapularis), Melanoconion, Theo., Heptaphlebomyia, Theo., Pseudoheptaphle- 

 homyia, Ventr., and some species of Taeniorliynchus, Theo. ( T. tenax and T. ager), 

 of Grahhamia {G. jamaicensis, etc), of Culicada (C. quasimodesta and C. bicolor) 

 and of Culicelsa (C. accraensis and C. annullrostris) besides some small genera, 

 such as Lasioconops and Oculeomyia, which were only founded on misconceptions : as 

 regards the last named, contiguous eyes are found in nearly all the Culicales, and 

 I believe in most of the Metais'OTOTRICHA with the exception of Eretmapodites. 



1. Proboscis and tarsi with pale bands, those on tarsi including both 



sides of joints (fig. 4, a) ... ... ... ... ... ... 2. 



Proboscis and tarsi unhanded ... ... ... ... ... 7. 



2. Thorax with pale scales on the anterior two-thirds, or at least 



with a transverse pale band behind the middle (Leucomyia, Theo.) 



(fig. 5, a) _ ... 3. 



Thorax with almost uniform scales, at most with a pair of pale 

 spots, abdominal segments with complete basal white bands ... 5. 



3. Femora and tibiae with rows of sharply defined whitish spots 



(fig. 4, a) ... ... ... ... ... ... 1. quasigelidus. 



Femora and tibiae not spotted ... ... ... ... ... 4. 



4. Abdomen almost unicolorous dark brown ... ... ... 2. consimilis. 



Adominal segments with both median basal and lateral apical 



triangular pale spots ... ... ... ... ...3. ann'ulio?-is , 



