786 MOSQUITOES OF NORTH AMERICA 



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

 ish-black, the outstanding ones narrowly ligulate, those on forks of second vein 

 denser and slightly broader. Halteres whitish, with dark knobs. 



Legs slender, moderately long ; vestiture dull bronzy-brown with a bluish re- 

 flection; femora white beneath except at extreme tij^; fore and mid tibiae 

 yellowish-white beneath in their entire length, hind tibiae yellowish-white 

 mesially beneath, the bases and apices broadly black ; tarsi unieolorous, those of 

 hind legs brassy yellowish beneath nearly to tip. Claw formula, 1.1-1.1-1.1. 



Length : Body 4 mm. ; wing 3.5 mm. 



Male. — ^Proboscis straight, moderately long and slender, black scaled. Palpi 

 exceeding the proboscis by half the length of the last joint ; last two joints and 

 apex of long joint slightly swollen and with abundant long blackish hairs; 

 vestiture brownish-black virith blue luster. Antennae plumose, the last two joints 

 long and slender, rugose, pilose, black, the others short, narrowly black ringed 

 at insertions of hair-whorls, pale beyond ; hairs long, dense, dark brown with 

 yellow luster. Coloration similar to the female, the silvery area on the mesono- 

 tum more extensive. Abdomen elongate, depressed, the lateral spots enlarged, 

 tending to form basal segmental bands dorsally, the last segment white scaled, 

 with a narrow black apical margin ; medio-dorsal spots absent ; venter pure white 

 with large latero-apieal black spots -^ lateral ciliation long, fine, regular, pale 

 yellowish. Wings somewhat narrower than in the female, the stems of the 

 fork-cells longer, the vestiture sparse. Claw formula, 3.1-2.1-1.1. 



Length : Body about 4.5 mm. ; wing 3.5 mm. 



Genitalia (plate 29, fig. 199, and plate 30, fig. 203) : Side-pieces over twice 

 as long as wide, rounded at tip ; apical lobe broad, not prominent ; basal lobe 

 small, rounded, densely setose, with a long stout spine within. Clasp-filament 

 slender, slightly swollen in middle, with a long articulated terminal spine. 

 Harpes narrowly elliptical, concave, inner margin thickened and revolute, tip 

 pointed. Harpagones with a slender columnar base bearing a short seta on 

 inner side at base and a long articulated terminal filament, widened in the 

 middle and bearing a short retrose spine. Unci approximate, revolute, forming 

 a short basal cylinder. Basal appendages small, approximate, bearing three 

 stout spines at tip. 



Larva, Stage IV (plate 120, fig. 414). — Head rounded, widest through eyes, 

 narrowed anteriorly, rounded in front. Antennae moderate, slender, uniform, 

 spinulose, the tuft small, situated before the middle. Both pairs of dorsal head- 

 hairs single, ante-antennal tuft multiple. Body with the skin coarsely pilose. 

 Lateral comb of eighth abdominal segment of many scales in a narrow patch, 

 each scale evenly spinulated, without central thorn. Air-tube about two and a 

 half times as long as wide, slightly tapered beyond middle ; pecten of fourteen 

 long, evenly spaced teeth reaching beyond middle of tube, followed by a single 

 tuft of about eight hairs. Anal segment about as long as wide, ringed by the 

 plate ; dorsal tuft a long hair and a tuft on each side ; ventral brush well devel- 

 oped, confined to the barred area ; anal gills long, about twice as long as the seg- 

 ment, tapering gradually towards the tips. 



The larvae live in temporary ground-pools or marshes. Mr. Knab found the 

 larvae in temporary pools of muddy water in stream-beds, where they were 

 associated with other species occurring under these conditions. The eggs pass 

 the dry season, and there are several hatchings in the year. The Eev. Mr. Aiken 

 says that the occurrence of this mosquito is conditioned only by the opportuni- 

 ties for breeding and that the adults frequent the breeding-places. He says : 



" At a small pool to the north of All Saints' manse we invariably found these 

 mosquitoes active so long as water remained ; and on one or two occasions when 

 we found the pool dry, on turning over decaying leaves lying in the bottom, we 



