Uranotaenia in Solomon Islands — -Belkin 
321 
stages, and are more striking than those be- 
tween U. quadrmaculata and U. nigerrima, 
which Edwards considered distinct species. 
To the east of the Solomons only three 
species of Uranotaenia have been reported 
from the Pacific islands. All of them appear 
to be very distinct from any species found in 
the Solomons. Perry (1946: 11, 14) reports 
U. tibialis Taylor from Espiritu Santo, New 
Hebrides. I have seen a single damaged female 
thought to be this species from Efate, New 
Hebrides (Rentaban Bridge, Sept. 20, 1942, 
K. L. Knight Coll. USNM). It appears to be 
a distinct species, possibly not related to U. 
tibialis at all. The abdomen is broken off, but 
the following features are discernible: broad 
scales of head all dark, no indication of light 
orbital line, one pair of long, erect, vertical 
scales in addition to shorter, lighter, erect oc- 
cipital scales; scutum with short, broad patch 
of bluish scales on front of wing root; apn 
and stp each with broad patch of broad, bluish 
scales but integument not distinctly light in 
line with the patches; wing with white scales 
as in tibialis- gtonp, distance between cross- 
veins about 1.4 of m-cu; hind tarsus white 
from extreme apex of segment 2. Perry (1946: 
11) states that in the larva the comb scales 
are not fringed or spined and that head hairs 
5 and 6 are spike-like. It seems unlikely that 
the characteristic leaf-like antennal hairs could 
have been overlooked. At any rate, this un- 
described species appears to have very little 
relationship to the Solomons Uranotaenia. 
The other two species from the South Pacific 
are both reported from Fiji, Edwards, 
1935, is entirely different from any Solomons 
species, particularly in the larval stage, and 
appears to have no close relative anywhere in 
the Papuan subregion. U. colocasiae Edwards, 
1928, appears superficially to be related to the 
nigerrima-gtow^ but is very unlike U. quad- 
rimaculata of the Solomons. Thus, as is shown 
also in Tripteroides (Belkin, 1950: 214), there 
appear to be no strong affinities between the 
mosquito fauna of the Solomons and those 
of the South Pacific islands to the east. 
Keys to Species 
1. ADULTS (MALES AND FEMALES) 
1. Posterior pronotum and supra-alar area in 
front of wing root each with a dark velvety 
integumentary spot; vertex of head with 
numerous conspicuous erect scales ...... 
.U. quadrimaculata Edwards 
Posterior pronotum and supra-alar area 
without dark spots; vertex of head with 
at most a few inconspicuous erect scales . . 2 
2. Thorax with broad whitish integumentary 
area embracing lower margin of scutum in 
front of wing root and upper half of pleura; 
vertex of head with broad scales all whitish 
U. sexaueri n. sp. 
Thorax with scutal integument all dark but 
with a narrow patch or a longitudinal line 
of whitish or bluish scales on lower margin, 
pleura with a median longitudinal line or 
patch of light scales; vertex of head with 
some of the broad scales dark ......... 3 
3. Scutum with a lateral longitudinal line of 
white scales extending around the front 
margin from wing root to wing root; three 
or more strong propleural bristles; spira- 
cular and upper mesepimerals absent; con- 
spicuous white knee spots on all femora . . 
U. wysockii n. sp. 
Scutum with a lateral longitudinal line or 
patch of white or bluish scales restricted 
to area between transverse suture and wing 
root on each side; at most one strong pro- 
pleural bristle; spiracular and upper mese- 
pimerals present; femora without knee 
spots, at most indistinctly lighter apically 
at articulation 4 
4. Abdomen with conspicuous dorsal white 
scaling on at least one segment; light scal- 
ing of head and thorax white or slightly 
bluish, arranged in narrow lines on thorax; 
distinct frontal tuft present; males with 
front tibia and tarsus without specialized 
bristles or scales 5 
