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PACIFIC SCIENCE, VoL VII, July, 1953 
that eggs of mosquitoes in such habitats are laid 
singly in all genera including Uranotaenia and 
Culex. The larval behavior of U. wysockiiis dis- 
cussed under that species. It should be noted 
that both the behavior and superficial morph- 
ology of plant-inhabiting species show mark- 
ed convergence in entirely unrelated groups. 
A fourth group of larval habitats utilized 
by Uranotaenia is found in water collections 
in various types of dead plant materials found 
on the ground. Tree holes either belong to 
this class or may be considered as intermediate 
between it and the preceding class. Several 
species have been reported breeding in water 
collections in opened coconuts, coconut 
husks, fallen coconut spathes, fallen bamboo, 
and various types of artificial containers. In 
the Solomons U. quadrimaculata breeds in 
such habitats but in addition is found in taro 
(Alocasia, Colocasia sp.). Again it appears that 
representatives from several distinct groups 
of the genus have invaded this ecological 
niche. It is probable that eggs are laid singly 
in these species, as reported by Bohart and 
Ingram (1946: 58) for U. bimaculata 
1908. I have never found egg rafts of U. 
quadrmaculata in over 50 collections. The 
appearance and behavior of these larvae is 
very different from the ordinary ground-water 
inhabitants and is discussed in more detail 
under the section on the biology of U. quad- 
rimaculata. 
In the Solomons all the species of Urano- 
taenia develop rather slowly in the laboratory, 
and I am under the impression that it takes 
at least 10 days for the completion of the 
aquatic cycle. The pupal stage in the labora- 
tory lasts 2 to 3 days and even longer in the 
case of U. wysockii. 
Adults of Uranotaenia are delicate, shy mos- 
quitoes which apparently do not normally 
feed on human blood. U. geometrica Theobald, 
1901, was reported on the authority of Lutz 
(Theobald, 1901: 248) as being a severe biter, 
but this has not been confirmed (Shannon, 
1931: 24; Lane, 1943: 138). The only definite 
records on blood feeding are those of Davis 
and Philip (1931: 137, 138) on bird blood and 
Remington (1945: 32-37, 64-68) on amphi- 
bian blood. In the Solomons all the observed 
species are fairly active during the day but 
are restricted to shaded situations. They oc- 
casionally land on human beings but in my 
experience never bite. The majority of species 
are found on moist surfaces near the breeding 
places, and an occasional specimen shows 
blood. Several species come readily to electric 
lights, indicating that their activity is not re- 
stricted to daylight hours. 
Ajjinities of Solomons Fauna 
The Solomons species of Uranotaenia as 
here understood all belong to species groups 
represented in the Australasian and Oriental 
regions. All the species are endemic except 
U. atra. The specimens determined as the 
latter are probably also a distinct species in 
the Solomons, but because of the insufficient 
knowledge of this group in the other areas 
of its occurrence they are not separated no- 
menclatorially for the present. All the species 
show very strong affinities with Papuan and 
Philippine representatives of the same groups 
except U. wysockii, a member of the Oriental 
alboannulata-grou'^ which has not been recog- 
nized previously from these subregions. 
There is only one representative of each 
species group in the Solomons, and in each 
case the separation from related forms is quite 
distinct in all known stages although based 
on relatively few characters. Probably addi- 
tional characters will become apparent when 
related species are studied in greater detail. 
U. wysockii is an exception for the reason 
stated above, and whether it is a form pecu- 
liar to the Solomons and without close rela- 
tives in adjacent areas is not known. Detailed 
discussions of the relationships will be found 
under the section on taxonomic discussion 
for each species. 
Whether the Solomons forms described 
here are full species or should be treated as 
subspecies only is a matter of opinion. The 
differences noted are constant, occur in all 
