a handbook of the mosquitoes of north america - Systematic Catalog ...

CULICINI 109
Larva. (Fig. 3, Pl. XX.) Length 9-10 mm. Head broad,
slightly wider than long; antenna tapering, spined all over, a mul-
tiple tuft before the middle. Upper head hairs in threes or fours,
lower double; ante-antenna1 tuft multiple. Abdomen stout, with but
few hairs; lateral tufts multiple on the first and second segments,
double on the third to the fifth and single on the sixth. Comb of
the eighth segment consists of usually ten to twelve scales arranged
in an irregular double row. Anal segment longer than wide, not
enclosed by the dorsal plate; dorsal brush consists of a long hair
and a tuft on either side; ventral brush large with smaller tufts pre-
ceding the barred area. Anal gills longer than the segment, ensi-
form. Air-tube long, tapering beyond the middle, three times as long
as wide; pecten reaching beyond the middle, the last two teeth larger
and detached; tuft small, beyond the middle of the air-tube.
This is one of the most widely distributed species of mosqui-
toes. It occurs throughout the Palaearctic, Nearctic and Ori-
ental regions. It is widespread throughout the United States
and Canada. It is one of the most troublesome and abundant
of mosquitoes. The favorite breeding areas are rain filled
pools in meadows and open marshes, foul roadside puddles,
filthy pools around city dumps and hog wallows fouled with
excrement. It is rarely found breeding in clear woodland pools
and then in very small numbers. Though thousands of larvae
have been taken, this species rarely appeared in collections from
wooded marshes or permanent swamp pools. Its abundance
in filthy pools is extraordinary. In a filthy puddle containing
a half pint of water 1,089 larvae were counted. In another
similar puddle six inches long by four inches wide and not
over four inches deep some 4,000 larvae were counted. Basing
estimates on these and similar counts it was concluded that
from a series of foul roadside pools and a nearby hog wallow
over 100,000,000 adults emerged in one small area near the
city of Ithaca in the fall of 1922. This estimate seemed fully
justified by the abundance of this species in the city and subura
ban areas.
The breeding habits of this species are not yet fully under-
stood. Smith states that in New Jersey that brood follows