Uranotaenia in Solomon Islands — Belkin 
373 
Biology 
Uranotaenia wysockii is known from reared 
specimens only. On Guadalcanal larvae were 
collected in the water-holding leaf axils of a 
short heavy-stemmed, prostrate, stoloniferous 
pandanus with broad, almost smooth-mar- 
gined leaves {Freycinetia sp..^) growing in a 
densely shaded nipa-palm swamp (coll. 920, 
932), some 3 miles from the coast. Associated 
with it were an undescribed Culex {Lopho- 
ceraomyia), Aedes sp. (/^oc/6/- group), and an 
undescribed Corethrella. The other collection 
came from an elevation of over 3,000 feet, 
about 8 miles from the coast, and was made 
in leaf axils of a large, erect pandanus with 
broad, smooth-margined leaves growing in the 
open. Associated with U. wysockii in this hab- 
itat were two species of the Aedes kochi-gtou.p 
and Culex {Lophoceraomyia) sp. 
Superficially, the larvae of U. wysockii bear 
little resemblance to those of ground-water 
species. The broad head is much like that of 
other inhabitants of water collections in plants, 
and the simple hairs on the thorax and anterior 
portion of the abdomen, as well as those on 
the caudal segments, are greatly elongate. The 
short, characteristically shaped siphon with 
its very long tuft is also very different from 
typical Uranotaenia. The presence of a comb 
plate and a long siphonal tuft will separate 
the larva from all plant breeders on Guadal- 
canal. The larvae spend most of the time feed- 
ing at the bottom, unlike ground pool breed- 
ers. The pupae are of the typical Uranotaenia 
type and like the larvae are very lightly pig- 
mented. The short, slender, uniformly pig- 
mented and widely spaced trumpets are very 
characteristic and separate this species from 
all other mosquitoes found in similar habitats. 
On New Georgia and Bougainville, U. wy- 
sockii has been reported as breeding in the leaf 
axils of lily-like and aroid plants. I suspect 
that the plants were smooth-leaved pandanus 
{Pandanus sp. or Freycinetia sp.) as on Guadal- 
canal. 
Distribution 
Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal: Tenaru 
and Kokumbona trail (JNB, J. G. Francle- 
mont, P. W. Oman) [USNM, JNB]. Bougain- 
ville: Empress Augusta Bay, IM, 4F, Mar. 4, 
1944 (C. R. Bruck); 1M(G-104A) July 1, 
1944; lF(G-270) Mar. 6, 1944; lF(G-34l); 
1F(G-344) Apr. 24, 1944; lL(G-356-2), IF 
(G-357) Apr. 27, 1944; 6L(G-364) May 3, 
1944; lL(G-383) May 17, 1944; 5M, 5F(G- 
421) June 27, 1944; 4F(G-431) July 1, 1944 
(A. B. Gurney) [USNM, JNB]. 
7. Uranotaenia quadrimaculata Edwards 
in Paine and Edwards, 1929 
Plates 13, 14 
1929. Uranotaenia quadrimaculata Edwards in 
Paine and Edwards, Bui. Ent. Res. 20: 
315-6. Types: M, E, L, P; Guadalcanal: 
Rere, 19 Aug. 1928; llu, 26 Aug. 1928. 
Malaupaina (near San Cristobal) : 4 
Sept. 1928 (R. W. Paine) [BMNH 
(Paine and Edwards, 1929)]- 
1926. Uranotaenia nigerrima Taylor. Edwards, 
Bui. Ent. Res. 17: 109 (misident.). 
1944. Uranotaenia nigerrima Taylor. Knight, 
Bohart, and Bohart, Keys Mosq. Aus- 
tralasian Reg. p. 15, 68 {partim, misi- 
dent.). 
1944. Uranotaenia quadrimaculata Edwards. 
Knight, Bohart, and Bohart, Keys 
Mosq. Australasian Reg. p. 15, 69 
{partim, misident.). 
Diagnosis 
ADULT. — Head densely covered with long, 
dark, erect, vertical scales; decumbent scales 
very light purplish-brown. A large velvety 
black spot on each side of scutum in front of 
wing root and another on ppn, contrasting 
sharply with rest of integument. Scutal vesti- 
ture of elongate curved decumbent purplish- 
brown scales; lighter scales in streak above 
and behind dark scutal spot; a few curved, 
light scales on scutum above anterior end of 
ppn. Pleura light; broad translucent light 
