'248 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER IX Culex maculiventris, Macquart, Algeria. — pusillus, Bigot, Egypt.
— pipiens, Linnaeus, Algeria. Central Africa — 15 Specie.s. Anopheles funestus, Giles, Mashonaland. — paludis, Theob., and An. Mauritianus. l)e Qrandpre, Mashonaland. — Rhodesiensis, Theob.
— squamatus, Theob.
— cinereus, Theob.
^ superpictus, Grassi.
— costaUs, Loew.
— Pharcensis, Theob.
Me^arhina lutescens, Theob., Mashonaland. Stegoniyia sugens, Wiedemann, Mashonaland. — Africana, Theob.
— argenteopunctata, Theob. I'anoplites Africanus, Theob. Mdes Mashonaensis.
India — 49 Species.
Anopheles nigerrimus, Giles, Madras, Punjab, Calcutta. Quilon. — Jamesii, Theob., Quilon. — Sinensis, Wiedemann.
— sub-species fuliginosus, Giles, Calcutta. — sub-species Indiensis, Theob., Madras. — sub-species annularis. Van der Wulp, Madras. — barbirostris, N.W. Provinces. — Indicus, Theob., Madras. — Rossii, Giles, Madras, Quilon, Calcutta, &c. — Lindesayii, Giles, Lower Himalayas, 6,000 to 7,000 ft. — culicifacies, Giles, Central Provinces, Bombay and Madras. — gigas, sp. n., Nehilgerri Hills. — Listoni sp. n., Berars.
— Theobaldi, sp. u., Berars. Megarhina Gilesii, Theob., Sikldm. — immisericors. South India. Mucidus scataphagoides, Giles, Burmah, N.W. Provinces. Stegomyia fasciata, Quilon, Calcutta. — var. mosquito, R. Desvoidy, Calcutta. — scutellaris, Walker, Madras, Naini Tal, Calcutta. Ceylon. — gubernatoris, Theob. (Giles MS.). — pseudotseniata, Giles, Naini Tal. — brevipalpis, Giles, N.W. Provinces. — periskelata, sp. n., N.W. Provinces. — pipersalata, sp. n., N.W. Provinces. Armigeres ventralis, WaUver, Quilon, Madras, Calcutta. — panalectoros, sp. n., Calcutta.
ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE GULIGID^ 249 Culex mimeticus, Noe, Himalayas, N.W. Provinces, Nehilgerri HUls. — annulatus, Schrank, Himalayas, Bakloh, Naini Tal. — spathipalpis, Rondani, Naini Tal, Himalayas. — microannulatus, Theob., Quilon, N.W. Provinces, &c. — Vishnui, Theob., Quilon, Madras, Ceylon. — minimus, Theob., Quilon.
— gelidus, Theob., Quilon, and C. tipuliformis, Theob., Bakloh. — cantans, Meig., Conoor, Nehilgerri Hills. — viridiventer, Giles, Naini Tal. — l^ulcriventer, Giles, Naini Tal. — nigripes, Zetterstedt, Himalayas. — concolor, E. Desvoidy, Quilon, Naini Tal, Madras. — fatigans, Wiedemann, general. — fuscanus, Weidemann, Kandy and Indian Contuient. (?) — circumvolens, Walker, Ceylon. (?) - contrahens. Walker, Ceylon. Taeniorhynchus ager, Theob., Madras. Panoplites uniformis, Theob., Quilon. — annulifera. Walker, Quilon, Lower Bengal. ^Ecles nigricorpus.
^deomyia squammipennis, Arribalzaga, Madras. Corethra Asiatica, Giles.
Malay Peninsula and Eastern Archipelago — 37 Species. Anopheles sinensis, Wiedemann. — sub-species annularis, Van der Wulp, Perak. — barbirostris. Van der Wulp, Selangor. — Eossii, GUes, Singapore, Perak. — ocellatus, Theob., Perak. — tessellatus, Theob., Perak. Megarhina immisericors, Walker, Celebes. — inornata, Walker, New Guinea. — - splendens, Wiedemann, Java, Sumatra, Batavia, Singapore. — subulifer, Doleschall, Amboina. — Amboinensis, Doleschall, Amboina. Mucidus scataphagoides, sp. n., Burma. — laniger, Wiedemann, Java. Stegomyia scutellaris. Walker, Singapore, Selangor, Siam, Perak, Celebes.
— crassipes, Van der Wulp, Sumatra and Malayia. Armigeres ventralis. Walker, Singapore, Selangor, &c., &c. Culex sitiens, AViedemann, Perak. — infulus, Theob., Perak.
— impellens, Walker, Perak. — longipalpis, Van der Wulp, Sumatra. — caecus, Theob., Selangor. — imprimiens. Walker, Amboina. — gelidus, Theob., Perak, Selangor.
250 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER IX Culex fuligens, Theob., Singapore. — bicolor, Walker, Perak.
— fatigans, Wiedemann, Singapore. — flavidus, Bigot, Perak, Selangor. — aureostriatus, Doleschall, Amboina. — setulosus, Doleschall, JaA'a. — luridus, Doleschall, Middle Java. — uncus, Theob., Selangor.
— longipes, Theob., Singapore. Taeniorhynchus tenax, Theob., Perak, &c. Panoplites uniformis, Theob., Perak. — dives, Schiner, Selangor, Singapore. .Edeomyia squammipennis, Arribalzaga, Perak. JEdea Malayi, Theob , Selangor. Corethra Maniliensis, Schiner, Manila. China and Formosa — 11 Species. Anopheles Sinensis, Wiedemann, Formosa, Shanghai. — maculatus, Theob., Hong Kong. — minimus, Theob., Hong Kong. Mucidus scataphagoides, sp. n.. Hong Kong. Stegorayia scutellaris, Walker, Hong Kong, Formosa. — fasciata, Fabr., Shanghai. Armigeres ventralis, Walker, Hong Kong, Formosa. (?)Culex solicitans, Walker, Formosa. (?) — vagans, Wiedemann, Foo Chow and Shanghai. — fatigans, Wiedemann, Hong Kong. Taeniorhynchus conopas, Frauenfeld. Japan — 5 Species.
Stegomyia fasciata, Fabricius, Tokiyo. — scutellaris, Wallier, Tokiyo. — Japonica, Theob, Tokiyo.
Culex subalbatus, Coquillett. — pallens, Coquillett.
Central Asia — 2 Species.
Megarhina Christophii, Portschinsky, Amur. (?)Culex Caspius, Pallas, Caspian Sea. Australia— 29 Species.
Anopheles annulipes, Walker, Queensland and N. S. Wales. — Masters!, Skuse, Queensland and N. S. Wales. — atripes, Skuse, N. S. Wales. — stigmaticus, Skuse, N. S. Wales. Megarhina speciosa, Skuse, Queensland. ^Mucidus alternans, Westwood, Queensland and N. S. Wales.
ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CULICIDiE 251 Stegomyia notoscripta, Ski:se, Queensland, N. S. Wales, Adelaide. — fasciata, Fabricius, Queensland, N. S. Wales, Victoria. var. Queenslandensis, n. v. S. Queensland. Culex aixnulirostris, Skvise, Queensland, N. S. Wales. — oceaneus, Theob., Queensland. — alboannulatus, Macquart, Queensland, Sydney, N. S. Wales, &c. — vigilax, Skuse, Queensland, N. S. Wales. — rubithorax, Macquart, S. Queensland, Tasmania. — procax, Skuse, Queensland and N. S. Wales. — marinus, Theob., Queensland. — occidentalis, Skuse, Victoria, W. Australia. — flavifrons, Skuse. Brisbane, Australia, N. S. Wales. — camptorhynchus, Thomson, Sydney. — sagax, Skuse, Queensland. — Frenchii, Theob., Victoria. — fatigans, Wiedemann.
var. Skusii, Giles, var. Macleayi, Skuse.
— acer, Walker, Queensland. — vittager, Skuse, Queensland and N. S. Wales. — linealis, Skuse, N. S. Wales. — atripes, Skuse, N. S. Wales. — australis, Erichson, Tasmania. — tigripes, De Grandpre et De Charmoy, Queensland. jEdeomyia venustipes, Skuse, Sydney. Uranotaenia pygmsea, Theob., Queensland. New Zealand — 7 Species. Culex albirostris, Macquart. — acer, Wallcer.
— pervigilans, Bergcoth. Culex u-acimdus, Walker. Uranotaenia argyropa, Walker. Corethra antarctica, Hudson. Oceanic Islands — 7 Species. Bermuda.
Stegomyia fasciata, Fabricius. | Culex fatigans, Wiedemann. Fiji.
Anopheles, sp. ? (remains). I Culex fatigans, Wiedemann. Stegomyia scutellaris. Walker. | Mauritius.
Anopheles paludis, Theob. l Culex aimulitarsis, Macquart. Stegomyia scutellaris. Walker. | — fatigans, Wiedemann. Madeira.
Culex longioareolatus, Macquart.
262 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER IX Anyone who is at the pains to compare closely the above faunistic lists will find no difficulty in discoveiing numerous other instances of wide as well as of scattered distribution, but as regards the latter character, it must be remembered that wide gaps between the recorded haunts of certain species may be often merely due to our lack of information as to the fauna of the intervening countries, which will be filled up as our knowledge increases. It must not be forgotten, too, that the closest morphological resemblance does not necessarily imply specific identity, and that some of the eccentric distributions that may be noticed may be referable to a close external resemblance of really distinct species ; in illustration of which, it may be instanced that cases have been met with by both Mr. Theobald and myself in which specimens have been sent by well-known naturalists as of one species, and which were certainly well-nigh identical, marking for marking, were yet found, on close examination of the form of their scales, to belong to quite different genera.
It will be also seen that, speaking generally, the species of Anopheles have seldom so wide a distribution as that of many Culices, while the Stegomyice are the most widely distributed of all, S. fasciata (Fabr.) actually belting the world, but not, it will be noticed, extending northward of about lat. 40°, or south of the corresponding isotherm. In the north C. pipiens is possibly as widely spread, though there is at present a wide gap in Asia, from whence we have little or no information. I doubt, however, if this species extends much south of Italy, as although typical specimens have been obtained from the northern part of that country, I suspect that its place is taken in the south by C. fatigans, Wied., which certainly also occurs there. I am aware that Professor Grassi regards these two species as identical, but believe that he has been led to that conclusion by having to deal with C. fatigans, as to judge by the figure in his recent work (" G. S. Z.," Tav. iv., fig. 30) it is really that species, and not G. pipiens, to which he refers, as the drawmg clearly shows the comparatively short male palpi, which afford one of the readiest means of dis-
ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CULICID/E '253 tinguishing between them. It must be remembered that besides these two there is a whole group of other species as closely allied, but which are, nevertheless, universally admitted as distinct. In cases of this sort, as in that of An. superpictus and An. Rossii, it is probable that larval characters, when we come to sufficiently know them, may enable us to distinguish between species whose imagines may be puzzlingly alike; and when these have been thoroughly examined, it is quite possible that the very variable C. fatigans will have to be split up into several distinct types.
254 PART IL— SYSTEMATIC.
CHAPTEK X.
On the Classification of the Family.
The genus Culex was founded by Linnaeus, in 1790, and in 1818, Meigen adopted in addition, those of Anopheles, Mdes, and Corethra ; which four genera have been universally accepted ever since. To these in 1827, Bob. Desvoidy added Megarhina, Psorophora, and Sabethes, the distinctness of which can no longer be doubted ; and Mochlonyx, separated in 1844 by Loew, has always been regarded as a good genus.
Such has, however, not been the case with a number of genera proposed by Lynch Arribalzaga, in 1891, as though some have been found to be worthy of retention, as representing more or less distinct types, their limits and definitions have required modification.
These eleven or twelve genera served well enough as long as the number of species known was but small, but as more and more forms were described, the genus Ciilex in particular came to include so unmanageable a number of species, that further subdivision became urgently necessary, the only difficulty being to discover some class of character which might serve as the basis of a more minute classification. Unfortunately, the family is extremely uniform in character, and it was only after the examination of an enormous mass of material that Mr. Theobald found, in the character and arrangement of the scales that clothe the body and wings, a working basis on which to found new generic distinctions. Speaking generallj', I entirely agree with the classification he now proposes, and though its adoption makes it necessary to resort to the compound
ON 'L'HE CLASSIFICATION OF THE FAMILY 255 microscope for the determination of the generic position of a species, this is less of a drawback than might be imagined, as after a little practice, it will be found that examination by reflected light, under a low power, such as a one-inch focus objective, suffices for all purposes ; and it is quite unnecessary to destroy the specimen for the purpose, as all that is required can be seen by placing the pin on which the insect is set at various angles so as to give the various points of view required. The simplest way is to stick the disc pin at the required angle into a small piece of cork, and to handle the latter in the same way as one does a slide. A great many microscopes, however, will not rack up sufficiently to admit of an object raised a pin's length above the stage being focussed, and on this account a portable stand in which the stage is detachable is a great convenience, as instead of the latter one can place a small plank of wood on the foot and so obtain ample room. With ordinary stands, if they will not rack up enough, the same difficulty may be generally got over by contriving a sort of miniature stool of wood, which can be placed over the foot and mirror, and using this as a stage, the objective being made to, so to say, peep through the aperture of the ordinary stage.
In the new classification, the five old-established genera form the types of the sub-families Anoplielina, Megarhinina, Culicina, JEdomina, and Corethrina, and each of these is subdivided into one or more genera, the total number of which becomes twenty-four, though it is already certain that two or three more will require to be added. Even, however, with this increased subdivision, the influx of new species has left the genus Culex, though its limits have been much restricted, still overloaded with more species than ever, over 150 forms being included within it, so that its further subdivision is much needed ; but it is by no means easy to hit upon any character likely to prove serviceable for the purpose, though it is possible that the structure of the male palpi, which vary greatly in the genus, might possibly be used for the purposes of a further subdivision. Of these five sub-families, the last, or Corethrina, which form