CULEX PEOXIMUS 377 



CULEX PROXIMUS Dyar & Knab. 



Culex regulator Busck (In part). Smiths. Misc. Colls., quart, iss., lii, 67, 1908. 

 Culex proximus Dyar & Knab, Proc. Bnt. Soc. Wash., xi, 38, 1909. 



Original Description of CtrLEx pboximus : 



The genitalia have the basal projection of the harpes long and curved. Harpa- 

 gones divided into two plates, the upper one very irregularly shaped and toothed, a 

 large blunt tooth at the bottom, long and curved, a similar but shorter one at the top 

 with a group of smaller ones between; a long sharp tooth arising in a different plane 

 from the others and exceeding any of them in length; lower plate concave, broad, 

 with narrowed rounded tip. The plate is shown fully extended in the figure and ap- 

 pears very broad In comparison with some of the other figures, for example restitans, 

 but this difference is due to the position of the parts in the slide. The species is 

 especially distinguished by the length of the lateral tooth of the harpagones, which 

 exceeds all the other teeth in length. 



Our specimens of this species come from the Canal Zone, Panama, and are in part 

 those referred to by Mr. Busck as Culex regulator (Smiths. Misc. Colls., quart, iss., 

 ui, 67, 1908). Culex regulator is a synonym of Culex similis, to which this species 

 Is closely allied, but we believe that the Central American form has departed widely 

 enough from the common stock to deserve specific distinction. Culex similis, there- 

 fore, exists In the Antilles, gives rise to a race, lachrimans, in the Guianas, and de- 

 velops a separate, but closely allied species, proximus, in Central America. This is 

 a parallel development to that of Culex quinquefasciatus, referred to above, with its 

 race in the arid regions of North America, developing a separate species upon the 

 Pacific coast. 

 Desceiptton of Female, Male, and Adult of Culex pboximus: 



Female. — Proboscis moderate, uiiiforin, clothed with black scales, somewhat 

 paler beneath, particularly towards middle; labellae long, conically tapered, 

 dark; setae minute, curved, black, those on labellae more prominently outstanding. 

 Palpi small, rather slender, about one-fourth as long as proboscis, black sealed, 

 setae rather coarse. Antennae moderate, joints subequal, rugose, coarsely pilose, 

 black; tori subspherical with a cup-shaped apical excavation, dirty brown ; hairs 

 of whorls sparse, moderate, black. Clypeus rounded triangular, prominent, 

 blackish, nude. Eyes black. Occiput brown, clothed with narrow, curved scales 

 on vertex, flat ones on sides, brownish white, margin of eyes and lower part of 

 sides white; many erect, forked black scales on vertex; a row of bristles along 

 margin of eyes. 



Prothoracic lobes elliptical, remote dorsally, clothed with a few pale scales and 

 black bristles. Mesonotum dark brown, clothed with minute, hair-like coppery- 

 brown scales; setae coarse, black. Scutellum trilobate, scales paler than those 

 on mesonotum, each lobe with a group of black bristles. Postnotum elliptical, 

 prominent, blackish, nude, paler on sides, with a dorsal carina. Pleurae and 

 coxae dark with a greenish tint, with patches of elliptical white scales and rows 

 of pale bristles. 



Abdomen subcylindrical, depressed, truncate at tip; vestiture above black with 

 a faint brownish luster, each segment except the first with a very narrow, trans- 

 verse, uniform basal band of dull-white scales, expanded on sides to form large 

 lateral triangular basal spots, eighth segment white scaled at sides ; venter white 

 scaled with black apical bands ; hairs at apices of segments rather coarse, pale. 



Wings moderate, hyaline; petiole of second marginal cell less than one-third 

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

 vein distant about its own length from anterior cross-vein ; scales of veins brown 

 with a blue reflection on costa, outstanding ones linear, denser towards apex of 

 wing. Halteres whitish with dark knobs. 



Legs moderate, vestiture black with a bronzy and bluish reflection and a pale- 

 bronzy luster beneath ; femora white scaled beneath to tips ; knees narrowly pale- 

 scaled; tibiae pale beneath. Claw formula, 0.0-0.0-0.0. 



Length : Body about 3 mm. ; wing 3 mm. 



