GENUS H.53MAGOGUS. 485 Genus XX. H^MAGOGUS, Williston.
(As limited by Mr. Theobald, Monog. II, p. 238). (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1896, p. 271, Williston.) The essential character of this genus is that while the palpi are short in both sexes, as in AiJdes, the one known species has five distinct joints, but in general appearance, it much more closely approaches Desvoidy's Sabethes. The antennae are almost as short, in proportion to the proboscis, as the palpi. Mr. Theobald defines the genus as follows : — " Head covered with flat scales, also the abdomen ; palpi short in both sexes, five-jointed, the first and fifth joints small, second long, nearly the same length as the third and fourth together ; antennae fom-teen-jointed. Wings with the two fork-cells rather short ; scales hormal, much as in ^des: In the S > the front claws are unequal, and each with a single tooth ; in the ? , equal and simple."
1. H^MAGOGUS CYANEUS (Fabr.).
= Culex cyaneus, Pabr. ; Hceiiiagogiis splendens, Williston. (Syst. Antl. 35, 9, Fabricius; Dipt. Exot. p. 8, Wiedemann; Trans. Ent. Soc. Lend. (1896), p. 272 ( = splendens), Williston.) Thorax deep blackish-brown, with deep metallic-blue lustre, with brilliant green, coppery, and violet scales. Abdomen black, with brilliant blue and violet scales, the first five segments with basal lateral white spots forming more or less of a lateral while line. Legs metallic-blue ; undersides of hind femora pale golden on the basal half. {Vide Fig. 51 ; 7, and 7a, p. 509.) $ . — Head black, clothed with brilliant flat scales, those at the sides bright blue and white, those behind metallic-green and blue ; palpi covered with bright purple scales ; proboscis long, deep violet-black ; antennse dark brown, basal joint dark. Ground-colour of pleurae nearly black, clothed with brilliant, glistening, white scales. Veins of wings clothed with iridescent brown scales, the fork-cells decidedly shorter than their stems, and their bases in one line. Length. — 5 mm. Habitat. — South America and West Indies.
Note. — Mr. Theobald believes that AVilliston's H. splendens is sj'nonymous witli the Culex cyaneus of Fabricius. GenusXXI. URANOT^NIA ("L. A." Arribal. p. 68).
This genus was separated from Alldca by Arribalzaga, in 1891, and is certainly a very distinct type. The gnats belonging to it are all inhabitants of warm climates, of small size, and are
486 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIV characterised by the possession of patches of scales of uearly circular outline, showing no signs of striation except under high powers, which bring out very close, transverse markings. These scales, in almost all lights, are of a beautiful iridescent sky-blue, or occasionally white, and give the insects a most distinctive appearance. The palps in both sexes are quite rudimentary, consisting of but one, or it may be, two short pieces ; but the proboscis is proportionally, very large, being as long as, or longer than the wing, the sheath broadened at the tip, and especially in the 3 , fringed near the end on its margins with numerous strong hairs. It may be distinguished from the other genera of the u^des group by the form of the fork-cells, which are very short, with the anterior cell shorter than the posterior. Ila, and IVa are continuous, without flexure to the apex of the wnng, while Up and IVp, are much curved. On casually examining the wing, it looks much as if there were no extension of I beyond the origin of II, but it really extends quite to the tip, though almost bare of scales. The scales of the wing veins are lanceolate, with a graceful sigmoid curve.
Arribalzaga founded his genus on two species, Pulcherrima and Natalies, and pointed out that Osten-Sachen's yEdcs sai)liirimis appeared to be of the same type, to which, of previously known species, Mr. Theobald adds Walker's C. argyrojncs, which, together with ten new species which have come to hand, brings up the total to fourteen species.
For the following rough notes on the larvae, which I reproduce in extenso, I am indebted to Dr. W. L. Forrest, of Antigua. " Found in ponds, covered with lemna-like weed, and other aquatic plants. Colour, creauiy-white ; dark brown head. Not at all timid, remains at surface at the same angle as Culex.
" Head. — Dark brown, densely chitinous, smooth, heart-shaped, with truncated apex, longer than broad, longer than thorax, as wide as abdomen ; eyes slightly in front of widest part, with a row of bristles pointing forwards ; antennae same colour as head, terminate with simple spines, basal joint with a few bristles ; whorls close, pointing sideways, extremities curving forwards, forming a straight line in front. On upper surface, on either side of the median hne, there is a single, stout, vertical spine, one pair is posterior to the centre of head, and one pair antei-ior, a little in front, and extending slightly towards lateral edge. There is also a curved row of bristles behind the base of the antennae. " Thorax. — Much wider than long, translucent, surface studded with colourless, cncular cells (warts or pits) ; frontal margin beset with long compound bristles, not quite so long as head, pointing forwards ; mesothorax with sunilar bristles slightly longer, several rows confined more to lateral regions ; near the uppermost bristle on each side, a slight
THE ^DOMINA. SUB-FAMILY 487 circular depression surrounded with tine liairs ; nietathorax similar to mesothorax, also with the two circular depressions. Tracheal angle situated between pro- and mesothorax, very slight dilation, " Abdomen. — First and second segments slightly shorter than remainder, with compound bristles as on thorax ; third to ninth each with a lateral tuft of hairs (short) arranged m a circle ; eighth segment, respiratory siphon, almost as long as thi*ee segments, with ten short spines on under side near base, a compound hair at the middle, on upper side several compound hairs, slightly chitinous ; ninth segment, swunmerets* very short, half length of segment, three sets (?) plain compound bristles, very long ; tracheae appear to touch, in the centre of each segment a chain pattern."
Table of Species of the Genus Uranotanla.
A. With one or more of the distal hind tarsal joints entirely pale, iii. Abdominal segments basally pale banded.
1. Uranotcenia minima, Theob. Last hind tarsals all yellow with more or less complete apical banding of other jomts. Abdominal pale bands yellowish-brown. Thoracic adornment unknown. iVnterior fork-cell quite as long as the posterior. iv. Abdominal segments with apical pale bands or median spots. 2. U. annulata, Theob. Last two hind tarsals all white, remaining joints with apical pale bands ; fore and mid legs unhanded. Pale abdominal bands grey. Thorax chestnut-brown, sharply separated from grey pleurae ; apparently without blue adornment. Anterior fork-cell much shorter than the posterior. 3. U. geometrica, Lutz. Hind legs with last two tarsals all white and apical pale bands to other joints, fore and mid tarsi indistinctly banded. Abdommal segments black, with triangular white median patches. Thorax reddish-brown, with blue spots in front of the wings, at back of mesonotum, and on middle of scuteUum.
V. Abdommal segments basally and apically pale banded. 4. U. pulcherrima, Arribdl. The proportion in which the contiguous segments contribute to the pale yellow abdominal bands is very irregular. Last hind tarsal joint white, with apical or articular banding to most other tarsals. Thorax clear red-brown, with brilliant blue median line on anterior half of mesonotum, and patches of the same at the roots of the wings.
vi. Abdominal segments unhanded, but with pale lateral spots. 5. U. argijrojwda, Walker. Hind legs with last two tarsal jomts, and apex of next, white ; fore legs with a broad whitish band, formed of all the fourth with the apex of third and base of Swimmers ts= anal tubercles? — G. M. G.
488 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIV fourth joint. Abdomen dusky, with apical white lateral patches. Thoracic adornment unknown. A large mosquito (7 mm.)
6. U. Loivii, Theob. Hmd legs with last two tarsal joints and apex of next white, but without other banding of the legs. Abdomen dusky, with traces of pearly-blue apical lateral spots. Thorax bright chestnut, with silvery-blue spots at the roots of the wings and distinct darker linear adornment. Very small (1"5 mm.).
13. "With the tarsi unadorned.
iv. Abdominal segments with pale bands.
7. U. saphirina (Ost.-Sack.). Thorax tawny, with blue median Ime extending on to scutellum, and other blue patches. 8. U. natalice, Arribiil. Thorax dark fawn, with darler median lines. Blue spots in front of wings.
9. U. 2^ygma;a, Theob. Thorax black, with pale bronzy scales and glistening white {not blue) spots.
vi. Abdominal segments vmbanded but witli pale lateral spots. 10. C". domestica, Theob. Thorax bright reddish-brown with two white spots in front of, and three on the scutellum. Anterior fork-cell rather longer than the posterior. 11. U. Malayi, Theob. Thorax bronzy-black, with no white adornment beyond a few white scales in front. Anterior fork-cell markedly shorter than the posterior, viii. Abdomen unhanded.
12. r. socialis, Theob. Abdomen black with a white spot on the fifth or sixth segment. Thorax deep chestnut with blue median line not extending to scutellum, and other blue and mauve ornamentation.
13. XJ. cceruleocephala, Theob. Abdomen uniformly brown. Thorax chestnut, with white spots in front and before the wings. Head entirely azure-blue.
14. XJ. Maslionaens%s, Theob. Abdomen uniformly- dark brown. Thorax bright rufous, without distinct ornament. Head clothed with sombrelj'- tinted scales.
1. URANOTiENIA MINIMA, Theob. (Monog. II, p. 267). Last tarsal joint of fore and mid legs, and last two of fore legs pale yellowish, but darker on the fore legs ; all the other tarsal joints more or less distinctly apically pale banded. Denuded thorax deep brown with pale median line. Scaly adornment uncertain, but probably without azure-blue spots. Abdominal segments dark brown, with pale yellowish-brown apical bands. "Wings without glisteniDg basal patches and with anterior forkcell longer and narrower than the posterior.
GENUS UKANOT^NIA 489 ^ . — Head and appendages yellowish-brown ; the proboscis much dilated at the tip, and the basal joint of the antennae purplish-grey. Pleurae and coxae very pallid. Wings with dark tooth-like scales on the costa ; and the scales clothing the veins, for the most part, short and truncate ; the fork-cells proportionally longer than in most of the genus. Legs dark, pale on the undersides near the base, and with pale spots or bands at the apices of the long joints. Venter with pale scales. Length. — Under 2 mm.
Habitat. — Quilon, Travancore, India.
Eemauks. — By no means a typical member of the genus. The spiny costa recalls that of my Ster/. hrevipaipis.
2. URANOT^NIA ANNUL ATA, Theobald (Monog. II, p. 250). The whole of the last two, and apices of the other hind tarsal joints whitish ; fore and mid legs unhanded, deep brown. Thorax deep chestnut-brown, sharply separated from the pale grey pleurae, but without any of the glistening patches characteristic of the genus, beyond creamy spots on the prothoracic lobes. Abdominal segments black, with grey apical bands. Anterior fork-cell much shorter than the posterior.
Head small, entirely clothed with whitish scales but for a median line of dark cells ; proboscis, antennae, and the very mmute palpi, dark brown. Scutellum clothed with nearly black flat scales. Legs yellowishgrey at the base and on undersides of the femora, and with minute kneespots, fairly distinct on the hind legs, elsewhere deep brown. Fore and mid tarsal claws of $ , simple but very unequal, those of 3 hind legs, and of ? , equal and simple. Length. — About 2 mm. Habitat. — Bonnv, West Africa.
3. URANOTiENIA GEOMETRICA, Lutz MS. (Monog. II, p. 247). Last two hind tarsal joints entirely white, with conspicuous apical pale bands on the other hind tarsals and on those of the other legs. Thorax reddish-brown with two paler lines, and glistening azure-blue patches before the roots of the wings, on the prothoracic lobes, and on a median patch just before a bare patch in front of the scutellum. Abdomen black with median white apical patches. Anterior fork-cell much shorter than the posterior.
The head and its appendages, save for some blue scales on the occiput, are almost black throughout, and the ground-colour of the thorax and abdomen piceous. The segments of the latter are obscurely basally banded with a lighter brown than that of the nearly black scales
490 GNATS OR MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIV covering their hinder borders ; and in the uiid-line this deep-tinted border is interrupted by a snowy spot, especially prominent in the ^ . In addition to the tarsal banding, the apices of all the femora and tibisi have large white spots, and the tips of the fore tarsi may be all white, though to a less extent than is the case on the hind legs. Wing mainly fuscous-scaled, with two minute and indistinct whitish spots, on the apex, and interruptuag the costa opposite the posterior transverse vem, respectively ; and with iridescent blue patches at the bases of V and II. The armature of the long wing vein is, even apart from the round-scaled patches, peculiar, their bases being clothed with truncate scales, while their distal portions are more sparsely clothed with long lanceolate scales of peculiarly' graceful form and arrangement. Habitat. — Santos, Brazil (Lutz).
Fig. 48.— 1, Wing of $ , x 15 diameters ; 2, Venation of $ wiug ; 3, Base of V, showing form of the generic blue scales ; 4, Arrangement of scales on distal part of a long vein ; 5, Head and appendage of J ; 6, of $ . 4. URANOT^NIA PULCHERRIMA, Anibalzaga.
("L. A." p. 65.)
Last hind tarsal joint all white, with distinct white apical bands on the other joints ; there are traces of apical banding on the upper joints of the fore and mid legs, the lower joints of which are much paler than the upper. Thorax bright testaceous, with a median pale blue line in front, not extending to scutellum, a pale blue patch on each side of the wings, another on the scutellum, and patches of deeper blue on the prothoracic lobes. Abdomen dusky brown, with whitish cross-bands, rather irregular. Foik-cells both small, the hinder the larger.
GENUS URANOT^NIA 491 Head clothed with flat scales of a dark brown and deep ochreous brown colour on the occiput, a small blue patch on each side close to the eyes, behuid are short black upright forked scales ; antennae brown, with narrow pale rings, basal joint bright pale reddish-yellow, proboscis and palpi black, the latter very small, especially in the $ , the former expanded towards the tip. Pleurae pale yellow, with a prominent azure-blue spot over the fore coxae. Wing scales closely resembling those of U. geometrica, and like it, with azure-blue patches at the base of II and V. Legs dark brown, with small white knee-spots, and apical rings on the tibiae. The proportion in which the contiguous abdomuaal segments contribute to the pale bands is most irregular, some of them being mainly formed by the apex of the segment in front, while others are almost purely basal, but on the venter the pale bands are more regularly apical. It may be distinguished from U. geometrica by its more complete abdommal banding, and by only the fifth, instead of the last two tarsal joints being entirely white. Length. — About 2*5 mm.
Habitat. — BrazU and Argentina, South America ; and I have recently received two 3" specimens from Dr. Forrest, of Antigua, whose remarks on the larvae of Uranotcenia may be taken to refer to those of this species.
5. URANOT^NIA ARGYROPODA (Walker). ( " List," p. 2.) Last two liind tarsal joints and apex of next yellowish, but with the tarsi apparently otherwise unadorned, beyond a broad band consisting of all the fourth fore tarsal and parts of the joints above and below it, which appear pale in certain lights. Thorax (much denuded) ferruginous, with hair-like brown scales and patches of flat blue scales on the prothoracic lobes. Abdominal segments dusky, with white lateral apical patches. A large mosquito. Venation of wing as in Eretmajjodites.
? . — Head black with azm-e-blue orbits ; palpi black, with a white patch in the middle ; proboscis black ; scutelluin ochreous, with dusky flat scales. Pleurae brown, with white patches. Legs brown, with the femora yellowish, white at apex and base, and with a dull white, subapical spot. Venter brown with ai^ical white borders to its segments. Length. — 7'5 mm.
Habitat. — New Zealand.
Observations. — In the absence of the male it is impossible to determine the generic position of this species, the type of which is in none too good a condition, but personally I do not think it can belong to the present genus, all the other species of which are very small, while this is above the average size of most genera ; in addition to which, the venation of the wmgs is as different as it weU can be, and I should prefer to place it provisionally in Eremapodites, the wing scales of which much resemble those of Uranotcenia.
492 GNATS OE MOSQUITOES — CHAPTER XIV 6. URANOTvENIA LOWII, Theobald (Monog. II, p. 339). Last two hind tarsal joints and half of the next white, but with no distinct banding of the fore and mid legs. The thorax is of the usual chestnut-brown, with some ill-defined darker ornament, in the shape of a pair of submedian lines and patches above the wings, but the characteristic iridescent patches are represented only by two small bluish-white spots in front of the wings. Abdomen dark brown, with traces of pearly-blue apical spots.
? . — Head clothed with flat, deep brown scales, with a small iridescent sdlvery-blue patch on each side ; its appendages deep brown ; the proboscis spatulate. Scutelluni clothed with flat black scales ; pleurae pale ochreous. Wings with small fork-cells, and the hinder much the larger, with a few iridescent scales at the bases of IV and V. Venter ochreous. Legs brown with the mid femora dilated. Length.— 1'5 mm. Habitat. — St. Lucia, West Indies.
7. URANOT^NIA SAPHIRINA (Osten Sacken).
^-Edes Saphirinus, Ost.- Sacken, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, II, p. 47. Tarsi uniformly pale brown. Thorax tawny-brown, paler on the pleurae, with a metallic-blue median mesothoracic line reaching the scutellum, a pale blue hne in front of the wings, and two blue spots on the pleurae. Abdomen brownish above, pale below, with pale apical bands. Wings with an iridescent patch at the bases of III and IV.
Head with a sapphire-blue front and median line ; proboscis very long, " incrassated " at the tip. Pleurae pale tawny-brown, with three sapphire-coloured marks ; " feet brownish, paler at the base, a snow-white dot on the upper side of the femora, and of the tibiae." Halteres with pale stem and brown knob. Length. — 2*5 mm.
Habitat. — United States : W^ashington, Brooklyn, Ithaca. Remarks. — No specimens have come to hand of this species, but it is evidently a very distmct species, and there can be no practical doubt as to its belonging to this genus. I do not understand why Mr. Theobald believes that the tarsi are banded. No mention of such a character is made in the original description, nor is it indicated in a subsequent figure by Howard, and the closely-allied U. natalice has also unhanded tarsi.
8. URANOT^NIA NATALIA, Arribalzaga (" L. A." p. 64). Tarsi unhanded, dark brown, their last joints reddish. Thorax dark fawn, with a darker median line ; a long pale blue spot on each side in front of the wings ; prothoracic lobes blue. Abdomen black, with pearly bands.