Genus Melanoconion. 511 



femora pale grey ; fore and raid ungues unequal, both uniserrate, 

 hind equal and simple, much curved. 



Wings with dense thick scales as in M. indecorabilis ; fork- 

 ceils small, the first sub-marginal much longer and a little 

 narrower than the second posterior, its stem rather less than one- 

 fourth the length of the cell, its base nearer the base of the wing 

 than that of the second posterior cell ; stem of the second 

 posterior cell about two-thirds the length of the cell ; posterior 

 cross-vein nearly twice its own length distant from the mid. 



Halteres pale, with slightly fuscous knob. 



Length. — 3*8 to 4 mm. 



Habitat. — New Hampshire (D. W. Coquillett) ; Lahaway, New 

 Jersey (J. B. Smith). 



Time of capture. — April. 



Observations. — Mr. Coquillett described this small dark brown 

 gnat as Culex melanurus from specimens taken in New Hampshire. 

 The larva was first figured by Dr. Dyar. Nothing seems to 

 be known of the adult habits. The larvae occur in woodland 

 springs and swampy bogs, and are noticeable very late in the 

 season, specimens being taken by Mr. Brakeley in New Jersey up 

 to November. Later he found that the larvae hibernate, seeking 

 the mud when the water is frozen over; they are half grown 

 during this hibernating period. 



Pupation is much retarded. They are bottom feeders, and so 

 have well-developed trachea in the anal gills. 



The larva varies from 7-8 1 mm. in length ; of a delicate 

 build, pale yellowish to bronze-grey in colour, head yellowish- 

 brown, siphon dark brown, black apically ; antennae long and 

 slender, narrowed beyond the tuft, surface with long spines, 

 lateral tuft large on apical third, apex with three very long 

 bristle-like hairs, one short bristle and a very small articulating 

 segment ; labial plate broad, seven to nine teeth on each side of 

 apex, some pointing towards the middle ; lateral combs of the 

 eighth segment seventeen to twenty in number, arranged in a 

 single row, greatly elongated in form ; the spines on siphon eleven 

 to fifteen in each row, long, thin, acuminate, either simple or with 

 one lateral spine near the base ; anal gills small, but nearly as 

 long as the ninth segment. 



Dr. Dyar states that the larva is slow in development and 

 remains long at the bottom of the water, and that it inhabits 

 permanent spring or deep rock pools. 



The thin black eggs are laid singly on the surface of the 



