190 Indian Museum Notes. [Vol. V. 



adults are exceedingly mosquito-like in appearance, and in some 

 species the similarity is carried still further by the blood-sucking 

 proclivities of the females. Midges differ, however, from true mos- 

 quitos in having the veins of the wings unprovided with scales. 



In the species Chironomus cubiculoru m } Doleschall, the larvae 

 attach themselves by the extremity of the abdomen, apparently by 

 means of the hooklets on their anal pair of legs to the debris in 

 which they lie. Thus attached, the anterior portion of the body is 

 moved sideways or up and down in a wavy snake-like motion. 

 Others, though rarely, do not attach themselves to any foreign 

 substance, but half creep, half swim about the bottom aided by 

 their anterior appendages which apparently act as paddles. They 

 also swim advancing sideways through the water by means of a 

 rapid figure-of-eight motion. Before pupating the larvae construct 

 loose fluffy tubes of rubbish in which they lie. 



LARVA : Length, full grown, 8 mm. Colour semi-transparent red, 

 darkest along the back. 



Adult insect : Length, 4! mm. In life the colour is light green 

 On the back of the thorax there are three longitudinal brown 

 bands ; one central and extending from the anterior end to the 

 middle of the thorax, broad, and under a lens, apparent as two bands 

 divided by a suture ; two bands extending from a little above the 

 posterior end of the central band to the posterior end of the thorax ; 

 under surface of thorax light br.own ; last two segments of the 

 abdomen blackish. Eyes black. Anterior pair of legs light fuscous, 

 the posterior and middle pairs with tarsus and lower half of tibia 

 fuscous, the rest green. 



The following is the original description of the species by Doles- 

 chall :— 



Eerste bildrage tot de Kennis der Dipterologische fauna van 

 Nederlandesche Inde. Door C. L. Doleschall. 



" Chironomus cubiculorum, n. ?p." 



" Chiron, lacte viridis ; thorace antice gibbosissimo, dorso maculis 

 3 rufis metathoraceque rufis, femoribus tibiisque viridibus, tarsis 

 pallide flavis, articulationibus nigris, oculis r.igris, antennis pilosis 

 simis. Longit. i£mm. Habit. Javan, in cubiculis, sit copiosus 

 empore pluviarum (Ambarawa). " Published on page 405 of 

 Naturkundig-Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie. Dul X. Batavia, 

 1856. Figured on Tab. v, fig, 2. 



Although this description is rather meagre, the insect is easily 

 identified by comparison with the excellent figure given. In our ex- 

 amples there are only traces of brown on the joints of the legs and not 



