CULEX — FEET UNBANDED ; ABD. PALE BASAL BANDS 439 scales and three lines of black bristles, much as in C. pipiens but often showing a more or less distinct ornamentation of darker lines. Abdominal segments nearly black, with straw-coloured basal bands of uniform width on the hinder segments, but expanding to form continuous lateral whitish lines on the second and third anterior segments. Tarsal claws of ? , equal and simple. Wings, with the anterior fork cell about four or four and a half times the length of the stem in $ . Palpi of ^ proportionally shorter than in C. pipiens, exceeding the proboscis by but little more than their last joint. Antennae of S^ , almost exactly the length of the proboscis ; distinctly proportionally longer than in C. pipiens.
? . — Head brown, covered with pale golden-brown to creamy, curved scales and a few scattered black, dark brown, and occasionally ochreous, upright forked scales, flat creamy-white scales laterally, and a faint pale narrow border round the eyes, numerous black and brown bristles ; antennae dark brown, with pale pubescence ; basal joint pale ferruginous to ochreous, basal half of the second jomt pale ferruginous ; palpi of ? , densely covered with deep brown scales, and in some specimens, with a few pale grey ones, and with numerous small black bristles ; those of (?, dark brown. Proboscis, covered with dark brown to violet-black scales, sometimes paler in the middle, and with a pale apex. Pleurae pale testaceous, with three or four white patches. Legs generally dark brown, but with yellow coxa; and minute knee-spots, and the undersides of the femora grey. Halteres yellow, with darker knob. Venter strawcoloured. Length. — About 4 mm. ; variable.
Habitat. — Is found throughout all the warmer parts of the world; is a purely domestic species, and its individuals probably must outnumber those of all the rest of the family. It has much the same distribution as Steg. Fasciata, but is found all the year round. It certainly occurs as far North as Italy. Its larvae will breed in any water, even in concentrated filth, but I have some doubts as to the identity of these with the form we meet with breeding in tanks of clean water in gardens in India, though it is not easy to define the differences.
Notes. — Professor Grassi has laid great stress on this species being identical with our European grey gnat, C. j^ij^iens, and as far as I can judge from the figure in his recent work, which, though small, is probably, being the work of so distinguished a biologist, proportionally exact, he is quite right in his assertion that the material he has been working with is identical with Boss's " grey mosquito." C. /a!!i^a.??,s undoubtedly occurs in Italy, and the proportions of the palpi and antennae to the proboscis are those of that species and not of C. pixnens, which, however, is found also in Northern Italy, and probably occurs aU over the peninsula. It appears to me, however, that undue importance is attached to points of this kind. Both species are very variable, and Mr. Theobald's comparison of some 300 wings of C. fatigans shows that
440 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIII individual wings may vary to such an extent in one species as to render characters of this sort, deduced from the exammation of a few specimens only, of but little value, except in a general way. In one instance the right and left wings of the same insect (of C. pipiens) did not agree ; two differences, however, proved to be constant. First, in C. 2M^iens, 4 is close up to 3 (about its own length internal), while in C. fatigans they are well separated (seldom less than twice the length of 4 apart). Secondly, in C. pipiens the anterior fork cell is fully five and a half times the length of its stem, while in C, fatigans it is proportionally shorter (not less than four and a half times its stems' length). The two figures given below are chosen as the nearest alike that I could find in my own small collection.
Fb Tc .
Fig. 45. — Pa, venation of wing of C. pi^nens ; Fa, of C. fatigans ; Qa, relative position of fork of II. to aux. junct. in C. quasipipiens (the upper), as contrasted with that in C. pipiens (the lower outline) ; Pb, head.ind appendages of C. pipiens ; Fb, those of C. fatigans ; Pc, group of outlines of wings of C. pipiens to illustrate their variability. (These last not at standard magnification,butreducedfromfiguresinMr.Theobald'smonograph.) In certain specimens there may be some indications of thoracic ornament, but as a rule there is no definite adornment, so that I believe Wiedemann's description must be taken as applying to the denuded thorax only. At the same time some varieties exhibit more or less distinct true scaly decoration. Mr. Theobald describes the following sub-species, some of which have already appeared as distinct species : — A. Type.
Abdomen dusky black, with basal pure-white bands and basal white lateral spots ; pleurae and metanotum chestnut-brown. B. Sub-species luteoannulatus.
Abdomen dusky black or brown, with basal flaxen-curved bands and pure white lateral spots ; pleurae and metanotum chestnutbrown : thorax with traces of two parallel bare median lines.
CULEX — FEET UNBANDED ; ABD. PALE BASAL BANDS 441 C. Sub-species Macleayi. Skuse.
Abdomen brown, with basal pale flaxen to almost white bands and white lateral spots ; thorax with two very clear median parallel bare lines in front, widening out towards the fore end. D. Sub-species Shusii, Giles. C. sp. jrrope, C. ciliaris. Skuse. Abdomen with pale flaxen bands and white spots ; the thorax with traces of four parallel bare lines.
E. Sub-sx3ecies trilineatus.
In which the median line of dark thoracic bristles shows as a third median line on the thorax.
Each of these sub-species can again be divided into varieties according to the colour of the spots on the first abdominal segment as follows : — Variety 1, with scales pale yellow.
Variety 2, with scales dusky black.
Variety 3, with scales pale yellow and black.
Localities for Sub-species.
Macleayi in Australia ; Sliusii in Australia ; The others in widely separate areas, and may occur side by side. 85. CULEX YIRGULTUS, Theobald (Monog. II, p. 123). Plate xvii, fig. 11, Tarsal claws of ^i 11a, Head and appendages; lib. Arrangement of bristles on the mesonotum.
Tarsi uniformly dark brown. Thorax bright chestnut-brown, with small curved golden-brown scales and two short single rows of bristles, a pair of bristles before the last one on each side. Abdomen dusky brown, a broad band of white scales at the base of each segment, which on the last few segments form lateral borders. Ungues of the fore and mid legs unequal, uniserrated ; of the hind legs equal and simple. A tuft of bristles projects from the front of the sternum.
(J. — Head brown, with scattered curved creamy scales over the crown, white flat scales at the sides and forming a narrow border to the eyes, a few black upright forked scales dotted over the crown; palpi much longer than the proboscis, yellowish-brown towards the base, dark brown near the apex, a small yellower pale band towards the base, hairs dense, silky brown ; proboscis yellowish-brown, darker towards the base and tip. Pleurae pale brown and grey. Legs with deep ochreousbrown scales, darker on the tibiae and tarsi, a yellow spot at the apex of the former. Halteres pale brown, rather darker on the club. Venter densely clothed with long golden hairs. Length. — 6 mm. Habitat. — Rio de Janeiro.
442 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIII 86. CULEX DECENS, Theobald (Monog. II, p. 34).
(Kept. Liverpool School Trop. Med. 1901.)
Tarsi uniformly brown. Thorax deep brown to black, with chestnut-brown scales. Abdonaen almost black, with basal white bands, regular on the third to fifth segments, but widening out prominently on the sixth and seventh to form clear lateral spots, the eighth being mainly white. Tarsal claws of $ , equal and simple.
? . — Head almost black, with small narrow curved creamy, and nuinerous dark upright forked scales, quite black in some lights, the pale scales forming a distinct line round the eyes ; clypeus dark brown ; palpi black ; those of ^ , longer than the proboscis by the last jomt and onethird the next, black, with a trace of a light band near the base ; antennae dark brown, with black verticillate hairs and pale pubescence ; proboscis deep bronzy-brown. Scutellum brown, with pale scales and seven bright brown bristles on the middle lobe. Pleurie marked ochreous and grey, with three white patches, one of which, of elongated form, lies just over the first two pairs of legs. Legs brown, grej' at their bases, with a trace of a knee-spot. Halteres yellow with dusky knobs. Length. — 5 mm. Habitat. — Bonnv, Africa.
87. CULEX MASGULUS, Theobald (Monog. II, p. 125). Tarsi uniformly purple-black. Thorax deep brown with goldenbrown curved scales, and with three rows of black bristles, the middle row ending at the middle of the mesonotum. Abdomen dusky brown, wnth narrow white basal bands, which form three lateral patches on the last three segments. Six central scutellar bristles. Tarsal claws of the fore and mid legs of the ^ , unequal, the larger one toothed, the smaller, and both the hind claws, simple.
5 . — Head cohered with creamy scales in the middle, flat white ones at the sides, with numerous black and brown upright forked scales all over the crown ; antennse brown ; palpi of ? , black, very short ; those of (? , deep brown, with a small pale ring on the basal third. Pleurae brown, with dull white patches. Legs pale at the base and ventral surface of the femora, remainder purplish-black, a pale spot at the apex of femora and tibiie, last tarsal joint deep ochreous. Halteres pale at the base, fuscous for their apical halves. Venter deep brown; with basal bands, much broader and more distinct than those on the terga. Length. — About 4 mm.
Habitat. — Freetown, Sierra Leone ; September.
CULEX — FEET UNBANDED ; ABD. PALE BASAL BANDS 443 88. CULEX TIPULIFORMIS, Theobald (Monog. II, p. 325). Tarsi uniformly brown. Thorax brown with narrow goldenbrown curved scales, paler behind ; pleurae with white scales. Abdomen dark brown with basal white median semicircular patches on segments two to five, spreading out laterally on the apical segments. Looks much like a small midge.
3" . — Head dark brown, with narrow curved grey scales on the occiput, flat grey at the sides, and numerous ochreous and brown upright forked ones, the former on the front of the head ; elypeus chestnut-brown ; proboscis brown, mottled with creamy-grey scales, thin ; palpi deep brownish -black, with pearly-white scales below ; antennae brown ; scutellum reddish -grey at the margin, with apparently six bristles to the mid lobe. Pleurae marbled pale brown and yellowish, with white patches. Legs unhanded, paler brown, with white scales, very long and thin, with a distinct longitudinal white line on femora and tibiae. Halteres, yellowish-brown with dusky knobs. Venter ochreous. Length. — 5-8 mm. ; of the hind leg, 7 mm.
Habitat. — Bakloh, Lower Himalayas, Punjab, 5,000 feet. 89. CULEX CONFIRMATUS (Arribal.)
Ochlerotatus confirmatus, Arribal. L. A. p. 46.
Plate xvi, fig. 17, Tarsal claws of ^ ; 17a, Venation of whig, ^ ; 17b, Head and appendages ; 17c, Extremity of ^ palp more highly magnified.
Tarsi yellowish-brown, unhanded. Thorax dark-grounded, with greyish-yellow scales in front, and fawn behind ; unadorned. Abdominal segments violet-black, with narrow, whitish basal bands, broadening externally. Palpi bi'oad ended, nearly black. This species is a small dark-tinted gnat, not showing its abdominal banding, except on close inspection. The head shows a few silvery scales behind, but the palps and proboscis are entirely black. There are a few white tufts on the pleurae and coxae. The venter is prettily marked, each segment having a large, semilunar basal ferruginous spot, surrounded by the black narrow remnant of the segment. The $ palps are very peculiarly formed, being barel3' as long as the proboscis and clubbed, the club being formed of the fourth joint, the fifth being a mere ohve-shaped rudiment ; the first two joints are very short and the third nearlj' as long as the clubbed fourth. Habitat. — The specimens described were sent me from Brazil, along with a quite distinct species of PanojfHtes, by Dr. Lutz. The above, however, agrees best with Arrib;ilzaga's description, although the ^ palps are unlike those of its congener in his classifica-
444 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIII tion, C. (ocJilerotatus) albifasciatits, Macquart. He appears, however, not to have obtained a male specimen. Length. — About 5 mm. Habitat. — South America ; Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Ayres, Brazil, New Amsterdam ; Jamaica.
90. CULEX NIGRIPES, Zetterstedt.
= C. impiger, Walker; =C implacabilis, Walker ; =C. incidens, Thomson (?) (Ins. Lapp. (1838-40), Zetterstedt ; p. 292, " F. R." ; Brit. Mus. List, p. 7, Walker (= impiger) ; Eugen. Rasa. Dipt. p. 443 (= incidens), Thomson.) Tarsi uniformly black. Thorax black, with ferruginous scales and black bristles in front, and brown ones projecting over the roots of the wings. Abdomen black, with deep fuscous scales and basal white bands, which spread out laterally on the last few segments in the ? ; entirely black in the 3 . Fore and mid tarsal claws of ? , symmetrical and each with an extra tooth. Head dark brown, with deep golden-brown curved scales and upright forked ones, and a small patch of pale scales on each side, a tuft of brown bristles projecting forwards ; palpi and proboscis black, palpi of $ with paler scales on the last joint, which is broad and flat ; those of 3 entirely black ; antennae black, basal jomt with dull ochreous scales ; proboscis long. Pleurae black, with white and grey scales. Legs black, including the coxae, but pale on the undersides of the femora. Halteres pale, with darker knobs. Venter black, with an indistinct paler median Ime. Length.— ^l-Q to 6 mm.
Habitat. — Arctic regions generally ; Lapland and Greenland, Alaska, Hudson's Bay, Kindu Kush mountains, N.W. Frontier of India, at 13,500 feet ; California (?). It will be noticed that with the exception of the Californian habitat of the doubtfully synonymous C. incidens, all the above records refer to intensely cold climates. 91. CULEX SAGAX, Skuse (" S. A. C." p. 1744).
Tarsi uniformly black. Thorax intense black, with goldenbrown, and pale, almost white scales, the latter especially before and on the scutellum and at the sides. x\bdomen deep blackish to violet-brown, w^th basal sinuous ochreous bands in the $ , which spread out laterally on the last two segments in the male. ? . — Head dark, with golden-brown scales and hairs : palpi blackscaled ; proboscis black ; antennae black, nearly as long as proboscis ; in the 3 ■> black with grey lateral patches, his palpi yellowish, dark at the extremity, with a pale band on the basal third. Pleurae dark brown with four or five white patches. Bases of the legs brown, with some pale scales ; femora pale ochreous at base and below with a few
CULEX — FEET UNBANDED ; ABD. PALE BASAL BANDS 445 scattered ochreous scales. Halteres ochreous. Venter densely pale ochre-scaled in the J ; with black median patches in the ^. Length. — 5mm.
Habitat. — Australia; N.S.AV. and Queensland.
92. CULEX YIRIDIYENTER, sp. n.
(Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. xiil, p. 609.)
Plate xvii, fig. 12, Tarsal claws of S' ; 12a, Venation of wing of ? ; 12b, Diagram of abdominal banding contrasted with that of C. fatigans ; 12c, Larva, x 7 diams.
Tarsi uniformly dusky. Thorax chocolate- brown with bronzy tomentum. Abdominal segments with yellowish basal bands having a blunt, deltoid, backward median prolongation. Venter almost naked, save for a few colourless scales, green in fresh specimens. Knees with minute lighter dots. Tarsal claws of 5 , equal and simple.
Head with deep chocolate ground, clothed with ferruginous linear curved, and black erect forked scales, with creamy lateral patches, narrowing above to form a whitish posterior border to the eyes ; proboscis, antennae and palpi nearly black ; the last exceeding the first in length by half the length of the subulate terminal joint. Scutellum nearly bare, the middle, with six strong bristles and strong tufts on the lateral lobes. Pleurae and sternum black, the former marked with greyish scales. Legs dark greyish brown, with narrow yellowish tips to the femora and tibiae ; the coxae and bases of femora yellowish ; first hind tarsal joint shorter than its tibia. Halteres pale yellow. Venter clothed with colourless scales, through which the green plant juice on which both sexes feed is visible, so as to give a distinctive pale green hue to fresh specimens. Length. — About 5 mm.
Habitat. — Naini Tal, Hmialayas, 7,000 ft. Breeds in pure rain-water pools in the course of hill streams which become raging torrents even after moderate rain. The larva is notable for its very long antennae and also for its long respiratory syphon. The adult females do not bite. 93. CULEX CONSOBRINUS, E. Desvoidy ("Essai," p. 408). = C. inornattis, Williston ; = C. impatiens, Walker ; = Cpinguis, Walker (?). [List, Brit. Mus. Dipt. p. 5, Walker (= imxMtiens); North American Fauna, Washington Gov. Press (1893), Williston {— inornatus) ; Science Gossip, pp. 79-81 (1867), Walker (?) (= innguis}.] Tarsi brownish-yellow. Thorax bright chestnut-brown, darkened towards the sides, and on a narrow dusky central line ; with scattered golden curved scales. Abdomen brown, with
446 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIII dusky-brown scales, with basal dull white bands, and white scales at the sides.
$ . — Head dark brown, depressed in the middle Ime, covered with creamy curved scales and with ochreous upright forked ones behind, black bristles, and a few yellowish ones projecting forwards between the eyes ; eyes dark, with a narrow pale border ; face reddish ; palpi, reddishbrown, with a few pale scales on the inside ; proboscis dark brown, very long. Pleurae bright brown with scattered pale scales. Legs yellowishbrown, with pale knee- spots, and the femora dusky above. Halteres with ochreous stems and dark laiobs. Length. — About 6-5 mm. Habitat. — America, from Colorado to Hudson's Bay. 94. CULEX SYLYiE, Theobald (Monog. II, p. 96).
(Described as a sub-species of C. nigrlpes, Zetterstedt. ) Tarsi uniformly black. Thorax black, with reddish-brown scales in the middle, pale scales at the sides. x\bdomen black, with basal white bands, in both sexes. Palpi and proboscis black ; posterior cross vein close to the mid cross vein. Head dark brown, with narrow curved, pale creamy scales, and dark upright forked ones, flat creamy scales at the sides ; antennae black ; basal joint black, with a few grey scales ; palpi of ? , black scaled, with a few dull grey ones at the tips, last joint broad ; those of $■ , black with the third joint and the end of the fourth much dilated, rather shorter than the proboscis, which is intensely black ; clypeus black. Pleurae dark brown with white patches. Legs black, with white knee-spots ; the undersides of the femora rather paler. Venter white. Male claspers with spirally curved claws. Length. — About 5 mm. Habitat. — New Forest, Hampshire ; June.
95. CULEX PERYIGILANS, Bergroth.
(Wiener Entomolog. Zeituug, p. 295 (1889), Bergroth.) Tarsi uniformly nearly black. Thorax dark brown, with dull golden scales more or less longitudinally arranged, with traces of two median parallel bare lines. Abdomen black, with basal white bands ; venter white scaled with median black spots. Ungues of the ? , small, much curved, equal and simple ; in the $ , the fore and mid ungues are unequal, uniserrated, the hind equal and simple.
Head yellowish, with numerous black bristles projecting forwards and narrow eye borders ; palpi of 5 , thick, black, with a few scattered scales ; those of ^ , longer than the proboscis by all the last and half the next