LESTICOCAMPA RAPAX 165 



Wings narrow, hyaline ; petiole of second marginal cell one-half as long as its 

 cell, that of second posterior cell as long as its cell; basal cross-vein distant 

 nearly its own length from anterior cross- vein; outstanding scales of veins 

 elliptical, brown, with a blue reflection. Halteres with brown stems and black 

 knobs. 



Legs moderate, slender, black, with violet and blue reflection, the femora 

 with a whitish reflection beneath; spines on hind tibiae large. Claw formula, 

 0.0-0.0-0.0. 



Length : Body about 4 mm. ; wing 3.5 mm. 



Grenitalia (plate 7, fig. 45) : Side-pieces about twice as long as wide, stoutly 

 conical ; basal lobes large, rounded, with many long setae. Clasp-filament long, 

 slender, with inserted terminal claw. Harpes prominent, vrith thickened margin 

 and spinose tip. Harpagones and unci somewhat prominently exserted, forming 

 basal cones. Basal appendages short and broad, approximated, each bearing a 

 row of long, very coarse setae. 



Larva, Stage IV (plate 94, fig. 304). — Head (plate 131, fig. 464) rounded 

 quadrate, longer than vride, the side slightly arcuate; mouth-parts, especially 

 the maxillae, strongly prominent. Antennae slender, about half as long as 

 maxillae, a single hair at outer fourth ; a long hair, three short ones and a digit at 

 tip ; head-hairs single. Mental plate broadly triangular, a square excavation at 

 tip, each side of which is a stout tooth with six more on each side, the last one 

 small. Mandible rounded quadrate, two filaments before tip ; a short row of cilia 

 from a collar; dentition of four teeth on a stout prominence, the first tooth 

 broadly triangular ; two spines before, a broad, serrate filament and three stout 

 hairs with divided tips within ; margin below the prominence roundedly angled 

 at base, a row of hairs on margin ; a row of hairs within below the dentition and 

 another at base. Maxilla elongate conical, slender, divided by a suture; inner 

 half with a long horn at tip ; outer half jvith a short horn, a spine, and two small 

 teeth. Palpus long, slender, thicker at base with four small apical digits, much 

 resembling the antennae in size and shape. Thorax rounded, wider than long ; 

 abdomen moderate, anterior segments shorter. Air-tube slender, slightly 

 tapered, minutely spicxdar ; a fringe of very fine hairs along posterior margin ; 

 two stout spines at tip in front. Lateral comb of eighth segment of two rows of 

 smooth, thom-shaped spines. Anal segment about as long as wide, with a dorsal 

 plate reaching well down the sides ; dorsal tuft a long hair and brush on each 

 side; a long single hair at lateral angle of plate; subventral tufts long and 

 multiple. Anal gills very long, over four times as long as the segment, evenly 

 tapered to a pointed tip. 



Mr. Urich found the larva in water held by the leaf-bases of Bromeliaeeae, 

 associated with species of Culex (Microculex) , upon which they are predaceous. 

 He reared from these plants also Culex imitator Theobald, C. pleuristriatvs 

 Theobald, C. azymus Dyar & Knab, and C. invmitabUis Dyar & Knab, as well as 

 Megarhinus superbus Dyar & Knab. We suppose that mosquito larvae living in 

 the water in bromeliaceous plants constitute the only food of this species. The 

 adults are rare ; we have no information about their life history. 



Island of Trinidad, West Indies. 



Arima (F. W. Urich). 



Our specimen was originally identified as Johlotia lunata Theobald, but owing 

 to Theobald's erroneous statement that this species possesses hairs on the clypeus 

 (Mon. Culic, iii, 336, 1903), it was redescribed as Lesticocampa rapax by Dyar 

 & Knab. We possess two specimens of the true lunata, kindly sent us by Dr. 

 Lutz from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and find them to differ from the Trinidad form in 



