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

say a terrifying, amount of literature, good, bad and otherwise,
has been published on mosquitoes. In 1900, Howard recorded
thirty species from the United States. Giles (1900) lists 242
species. from the world of which 41 are recorded from North
America. At the present time, over 2,000 species are known
from the world and Dyar (1928) lists 540 species from the
Americas, 123 of which are known from North America, north
of Mexico. It will thus be seen that in a short period of
scarcely more than twenty-five years the number of known
species has increased seven to ten fold. If all the synonyms
were included, the number of species described would be vastly
greater !
It is the object of the present handbook to present as con-
cise an account as possible of the species occurring in North
America, to summarize their life-histories, habits, breeding
habitats, their relation to our own welfare, and to discuss the
problem involved in any attempt at their reduction. It is also
hoped to present the taxonomic part so that beginners, public
health workers, medical men and the average citizen may be
able to identify our common species and take a direct interest
in the reduction and control of our most annoying forms.
With these high hopes, the author presents the book to the
public.
No attempt will be made to acknowledge the various text
books, publications, etc. consulted in the preparation of this
handbook. I have gleaned information from so many sources
that this would be impossible. All direct quotations, or sources
of definite information will be found duly acknowledged in
the text. However, it would be impossible to write even this
short book without the invaluable aid of the masterly work
of Howard, Dyar and Knab.-Tlze Mosquitoes of North and
Central Amkca and the West Indies (1912-1917), Dyar’s
The Mosquitoes of the Americas (1928) and the numerous
writings of the last named author. To them and all writers
on Culicidology, the author extends his grateful thanks. The
illustrations in the text are nearly all original and prepared