﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  32I 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  Species. 
  

  

  Although 
  exceedingly 
  numerous 
  in 
  individuals, 
  occurring 
  at 
  times 
  in 
  

   localities 
  in 
  swarms 
  so 
  immense 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  mistaken 
  for 
  clouds 
  

   or 
  smoke, 
  the 
  Culicidce 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  numerous 
  in 
  species. 
  In 
  a 
  catalogue 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Walker, 
  formerly 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  published 
  in 
  1874^ 
  

   one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty-eight 
  species 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  are 
  given. 
  

   Of 
  these, 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  species 
  comprise 
  about 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  the 
  

   number, 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  published 
  catalogue, 
  that 
  of 
  Baron 
  Osten 
  

   Sacken, 
  in 
  1878, 
  forty-two 
  species 
  are 
  recorded 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  North 
  

   America, 
  arranged 
  in 
  the 
  five 
  genera 
  of 
  Megarrhina, 
  Culex 
  ^Anopheles 
  ^Aedes 
  

   and 
  Corethra* 
  The 
  specific 
  names 
  that 
  designate 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  a 
  

   merit 
  that 
  does 
  not 
  always 
  attach 
  to 
  our 
  scientific 
  nomenclature 
  — 
  that 
  

   of 
  being 
  appropriate 
  and 
  characteristic. 
  For 
  example, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  names 
  in 
  t^e 
  list 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  Culex, 
  each 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  

   may 
  presume, 
  has 
  been 
  bestowed 
  afcer 
  experimental 
  test 
  of 
  its 
  fitness, 
  as 
  

   they 
  lead 
  us 
  up 
  the 
  gamut 
  by 
  harmonious 
  gradations 
  from 
  the 
  initiative 
  

   Culex 
  pimcior, 
  to 
  pujigens, 
  and 
  on 
  to 
  stimtclans, 
  perturbans^ 
  provocanSy 
  

   impatiefis, 
  implacabilis 
  , 
  excitans^ 
  exa^ticians, 
  and 
  culminating 
  in 
  Culex 
  

   damnosus 
  ! 
  The 
  last 
  is 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  notable 
  " 
  gallinipper" 
  of 
  the 
  

   southern 
  swamps, 
  which 
  is 
  said, 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  vouch 
  for 
  the 
  truth, 
  to 
  be 
  

   capable 
  of 
  boring 
  with 
  its 
  proboscis 
  through 
  a 
  leather 
  boot. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  numbers 
  above 
  given, 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  

   approximation 
  to 
  the 
  real 
  number 
  of 
  species. 
  The 
  family, 
  for 
  some 
  rea- 
  

   son, 
  has 
  been 
  but 
  little 
  studied. 
  When 
  I 
  appHed 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  ago 
  to 
  

   the 
  gentleman 
  who 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  authority 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  among 
  us 
  on 
  the 
  

   Diptera, 
  for 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  our 
  more 
  common 
  species 
  represented 
  

   in 
  my 
  collection, 
  he 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  determine 
  them 
  for 
  me. 
  Another 
  

   of 
  our 
  distinguished 
  entomologists 
  who 
  enjoys 
  a 
  brilhant 
  European 
  repu- 
  

   tation 
  from 
  his 
  long 
  residence 
  in 
  Europe 
  could 
  not 
  decide 
  the 
  question 
  

   which 
  I 
  propounded 
  to 
  him 
  — 
  does 
  Culex 
  pipie?is 
  of 
  Europe, 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  

   the 
  genus, 
  occur 
  in 
  North 
  America, 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  credited. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  

   Every 
  known 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  globe 
  has 
  its 
  peculiar 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  mosquito. 
  

   They 
  are 
  endowed 
  with 
  power 
  to 
  resist 
  any 
  degree 
  of 
  cold 
  and 
  to 
  endure 
  

   extreme 
  heat. 
  They 
  particularly 
  swarm 
  in 
  the 
  tropics 
  where 
  they 
  often 
  

  

  * 
  Dr. 
  L. 
  O. 
  Howard, 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  published 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  (i8q6), 
  has 
  recorded 
  twenty 
  species 
  

   of 
  mosquitoes 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  examined 
  by 
  D. 
  W. 
  Coquillett, 
  of 
  

   the 
  Division 
  of 
  Entomology 
  at 
  Washington, 
  accompanied 
  with 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  ten 
  additional 
  species, 
  

   which 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  examined 
  for 
  verification. 
  (See 
  B71II. 
  4, 
  Nezu 
  Series, 
  U. 
  S. 
  D^pt. 
  of 
  Agricu].^ 
  

   Division 
  of 
  Entomology.) 
  

  

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