TJRANOT^NIA GEOMETRICA 919 



Vranotcenia geometrim Peryassti, Os Culicid. do Brazil, 51, 258, 1908. 

 Uranotwnia geometrica Newstead & Thomas, Ann. Trop. Med. & Par., iv, 147, 1910. 

 Uranotwnia geometrica Theobald, Mon. Culic, v, 501, 1910. 

 Uranotwnia geometrica BrSthes, Bol. Inst. Bnt. y de Patol. Veget., i, 44, 1912. 



Orimnal Description of XJbanot^nia oeometeica: 



Thorax testaceous brown, with two more or less distinct paler parallel lines, 

 covered with scattered thin bronzy-brown scales, with a light blue line before the 

 roots of the wings, a spot in the middle near the bare space in front of the scutellum, 

 and another blue spot on the mid scutellar lobe and pale blue prothoracic lobes, and 

 also two blue spots on the head. Abdomen black, with apical median triangular 

 white patches. Legs blackish, with apical white bands, the last two hind tarsi 'being 

 all white. 



9. Head covered with flat black scales, rather ochraceous behind, and with 

 brilliant blue ones at the sides and along the eyes; antennae brown, basal joint and 

 base of the second joint bright clear yellow; palpi very small, brown scaled; clypeus 

 deep rich brown, shiny; proboscis as long as the whole body, swollen at the apex, 

 brown at the base, dull metallic green, then purple at the apex. 



Thorax bright testaceous brown, with two paler parallel lines, somewhat darker 

 between than at the sides, covered with scattered narrow deep bronzy scales, which 

 under the microscope present a beautiful appearance; the middle of the scales 

 appears as a dark line bordered with a narrow golden rim; in front of the roots of 

 the wings is a long patch of brilliant pale blue flat scales, another exists in the 

 middle line just before the bare space in front of the scutellum; there are also two 

 rows of brown bristles; prothoracic lobes covered with flat bright blue scales; 

 scutellum with a patch of flat blue scales to the middle lobe; narrow bronzy ones 

 to the lateral lobes; four bristles on the median lobe and four on each of the lateral 

 lobes like U. pulcherrima; pleurae pale bright testaceous, with one large patch of 

 pale blue flat scales and traces of a second smaller one, and with scattered brown 

 bristles; metanotum pale yellowish-brown. 



Abdomen steely-black, covered with dusky-black scales, the third to eighth seg- 

 ments with a median apical white triangular spot, the base of the triangle level 

 with the posterior border of the segments, these spots show pale blue and pearly 

 reflections in some lights, the posterior borders with small pale hairs; there are 

 also pearly apical lateral spots; venter pale scaled. 



Legs with the coxae very pale ochraceous, with a few dark brown and pale golden 

 bristles; bases and venter along the basal half of the femora pale ochraceous, apical 

 half dark brown, with a pure white apical dorsal spot; fore tibiae, metatarsi and 

 tarsi dark brown, the apex of the tibiae and metatarsi with a small white band, 

 traces of the same on the apices of the first three tarsi; mid legs similar in colour 

 to the fore legs, but the femora much enlarged, hind legs with the tibiae with a 

 large white apical patch, metatarsi and first tarsal joint with a small white apical 

 band, the second tarsal with a broad white apical band, the last two joints being pure 

 white; ungues equal, thin and simple. 



Wings with dark- and pale-brown scales, those on the veins spatulate, short and 

 rather broad, single rowed, the lateral ones, where they occur, pale lanceolate and 

 large; the costal border dark, with fine pointed narrow lanceolate scales along its 

 free border; scales on the first, second, third, fifth and sixth longitudinals dark 

 brown, those on the fourth pale brown, except at the fork, the root of the fifth is 

 densely scaled with blue scales, with pale mauve reflections, forming a distinct 

 blue line; on the fork-cells and on all the third vein are large lateral pale lanceolate 

 scales; there is a very distinct incrassatlon forming a quasi-seventh vein; first 

 sub-marginal cell much smaller than the second posterior cell, lying close to the 

 first longitudinal vein, but its stem not so near as in the former species ipiilcher- 

 rima) ; the stem three times as long as the cell; the junction of the supernumerary 

 and mid cross-veins close to the base of the vein, but not nearly so close as in the 

 former species; posterior cross- vein not quite its own length distant from the mid 

 cross-vein. Halteres with a deep ochraceous stem and fuscous knob. 



Length. — 2.5 mm. 



Hahitat. — Cubatao, near Santos, Brazil (Dr. Lutz). 



Observations. — Dr. Lutz sends me an Uranotcenia, which he points out as differing 

 from V. pulcherrima of Arribalzaga, and which he names geometrica. After carefully 

 studying the two specimens sent and comparing them with V. pulcherrima, I feel 

 convinced that Dr. Lutz is correct, although it is closely related to Arribalzaga's 

 species. Dr. Lutz pointed out to me that the abdominal ornamentation differs, and 

 also that the leg banding differs, the two last tarsal joints of the hind legs being 

 pure white, whilst in pulcherrima the last only is white, the abdominal ornamenta- 



