62 MISC. PUBLICATION 336, U. § DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
surfaces and hatch when flooded by rain water that collects at the 
leaf bases. The adults are small and are rarely seen except in forests 
and shady places, where their host plants occur. The females of 
some of these species bite readily, but their attacks are usually rare 
and they are troublesome only where the host plants are abundant. 
Three species occur in the United States, two of which are limited 
to southern Florida. All these species have some white markings 
on the tarsi, although they are usually faint in dead specimens and 
are easily overlooked. The most obvious recognition character is 
the marking of the abdomen, in which the dark scales of the dorsum 
and the white scales of the venter meet at the side to form a straight 
line. The mesonotum lacks the dorsocentral bristles and is covered 
with broad, appressed scales instead of the narrow, semierect scales 
of Culex. They differ from all the other genera in having a tuft 
of bristles on the postnotum. The palpi are short in both sexes. 
WYEOMYIA MITCHELLII (Theob.) 
The larvae of this mosquito occur in water that collects at the base 
of the leaves of epiphytic Bromeliaceae. They occur throughout the 
year, provided their breeding places do not become dry. The females 
bite readily and are encountered occasionally in some abundance. 
They do not migrate far from their breeding places. The white 
markings on the feet are more noticeable when the insects are flying. 
When at rest the hind legs are turned up over the back with the feet 
pointing forward. The species is found in the United States only 
in southern Florida. Specimens have been taken as far north as 
Orange and Volusia Counties (latitude 28.5-29°). 
WYEOMYIA VANDUZEEI D. and K. 
The habits and distribution of this species are almost identical with 
those of Wyeomyia mitchellii. The adults of the two species are 
distinguished with difficulty, except by male terminalia. 
WYEOMYIA SMITHII (Coq.) 
(Pitcherplant mosquito) 
This is a northeastern species that has been reported as far south 
as Theodore, Ala. It breeds exclusively in the pitcherplant (Sar- 
racenia purpurea). The female is not known to bite. 
SYNOPTIC TABLES FOR IDENTIFICATION OF THE 
MOSQUITOES OF THE SOUTHEAST 
The accompanying tables have been prepared in the usual form of 
opposed couplets, but the principal keys are more detailed than usual, 
to provide in one place a fairly complete comparative description of 
each species. The most obvious characters are given in the first 
sentence of each couplet and are followed, in brackets, by others 
that help to define the species or group. The latter are used fre- 
quently in confirming a provisional identification, and should be of 
especial value to one just beginning a study of mosquito taxonomy. 
Many of them are of further use when the first characters mentioned 
