AQUATIC INSECTS IN NEW YORK STATE 129 



tufted with stellate hairs and some small tufts about the eyes 

 and betN\een the prothoracic air tubes. Tubes- long, slender, uni- 

 form in width, not flared, but slightly bent in the middle, about 

 12 times as long as wide." 



Family dixidae 

 Dixa midges 

 Plate 48 

 These little flies closely resemble mosquitos in size and form; 

 but may easily be distinguished from them by the venation of 

 their wings, and in that the veins are not furnished with scales 

 [pl.48, fig.8]. The antennae are about 15 jointed, and differ but 

 slightly in the two sexes; the legs are long and slender; and the 

 caudal end of the abdomen of the male is enlarged. The family 

 includes only a single genus, Dixa. The flies appear to be rare 

 in America; at any rate are rarely observed. 



The larvae of several European species are known. The fol- 

 lowing is the first published description of the larva of an 

 American species, as far as I am aware. 



Dixa modesta nov. sp. 



Mr Henshaw kindly compared this species with Loew's types 

 in the Cambridge Museum and he found that it differs from all 

 of them. 



Male and female. Brown, dorsum of the thorax between the 

 dark stripes yellowish; scutellum, middle and hind coxae, and 

 tip of the abdomen either yellowish or pale brown. Length 

 2 to 2.5 mm. 



Head dark brown, including palpi, antennae, and proboscis. 

 Thorax including the pleura, metanotum, and sternum, brown; 

 dorsum yellow with three wide brown stripes, scutellum yellow- 

 ish or pale brown. Abdomen dark brown or black, venter a lit- 

 tle paler, last segment yellowish, tip of genitalia black. Legs 

 brown, middle and hind coxae yellowish, and the basal portion 

 of the femora more or less yellowish brown, the tarsi and the 

 tips of the tibiae almost black. Wings hyaline very faintly 

 cinereous, veins fuscous, cross vein not clouded; the peduncle of 

 the Cubitus about as long or but little longer than the fork. 

 Venation as shown in figure 10. 



Described from a number of captured and bred specimens. 

 April and October 1902. Ithaca N. Y. 



