G. S. Tulloch.
A Key to the Biting Mosquitoes of New England.
Psyche 37:234-244, 1930.

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Psyche
[September
A KEY TO THE BITING MOSQUITOES
OF NEW ENGLAND*
A study of the infestation and distribution of biting mosquitoes in Massachusetts was made during the spring and summer of 1930. To facilitate the identification of the mosquitoes found, the following key1 was constructed; it being taken from Dyar2 and Matheson3 and modified to include those species known to occur to New England. It
is accompanied by a plate illustrating many of the taxo- nomic characters used in identification and by a few notes concerning mosquitoes considered to be of interest. Adults
...................... 1. Metanotum with a tuft of set= Wyeomyia Metanotum without a tuft of sets ........................ 2 2. Wings with the second marginal cell not half as long as its petiole ................................................ Uranotsenia Wings with the second marginal cell more than half as long as its petiole ............................................ 3
3. Scutellum rounded-not lobed ........................ Anopheles Scutellum not rounded-distinctly trilobed ............ 4
* Contribution from the Entomological Laboratory of Harvard University, No. 337.
This key was based on the list given by Johnson, 1925. Fauna of
New England. 15, The Diptera or two-winged flies. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. VII.
1922ÌÔTh Mosquitoes of the United States. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.
Vol. 62, Art. 1, pp. 1-119.
' 1929-The Mosquitoes of North America. C. C. Thomas.



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19301 Key to the Mosquitoes of New England 235 4. Cross veins tending to lie in line, or mesonotum with bare impressed discolorous lines or both. .. .Theobaldia Cross veins normal, mesonotal integument without ..................................
impressed discolorous lines 5
5. Abdomen of female blunt, with short cerci ............ 6 Abdomen of female pointed, cerci exserted ............ 7 ................................................. 6. Wing scales normal .Culex
Wing scales distinctly large and broad .......... Mansonia 7. Abdomen of female with the eighth segment wholly retractile, nude ; spiracular bristles present Psorophora
Abdomen of female with the eighth segment only partially retractile, spiracular bristles absent..Aedes 1. Eighth segment of abdomen provided with a distinct elongate dorsal siphon or respiratory tube'. ........ 2 Eighth segment without a distinct elongate dorsal ........................................................... siphon .Anopheles
2. Anal segment without ventral brush ............ Wyeomyia ............................
Anal segment with ventral brush
3
3. Air tube without pecten .................................. Mansonia ................................................ Air tube with pecten 4
4. Air tube with several pairs of ventral tufts .......... Culex Air tube with a single pair of tufts ....................... 5
..............................
5. Head elongate, elliptical Uranotssnia ........................
Head nearly circular or transverse
6
6. Air tube with tufts close to base .................... Theobaldia .....
Air tube with tufts near the middle or beyond 7




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236 Psyche [September
7. Anal segment ringed by the dorsal plate, with hair ..............................
tufts piercing the ring Psorophora
Anal segment not ringed by the dorsal plate or if ringed, the hair tufts posterior to the ring .... .Aedes TABLE TO SPECIES OF THEOBALDIA
Adults
1. Tarsi with faint whitish rings at both ends of joints morsitans
Tarsal white rings, if present, basal ...................... 2
2. Scales of the wings all black or brown, no white scales impatiens
Scales of the wings mixed, black or brown or white, especially along the costal margin ................ inornata Larvas
1. Pecten of the air tube produced into long hairs on the outer half ......................................................... 2 Pecten not produced into long hairs on outer half morsitans
2. Both pairs of head hairs multiple (6) and of about equal length .................................................. .impatiens Lower head hairs of three or four long hairs; upper multiple and shorter than the lower head hair inornata
Adults
1. Wings with white or yellowish white spots along costal margin ....................................................... punctipennis Wings without such marking ................................ 2 2. A bronzy or coppery spot at apex of wing .rnacuZipennis



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19301 Key to the Mosquitoes of New England 237 Apex of wing uniformly dark colored .................... 3
3. Segments of palpi white scaled at apices ............ walkeri Segments of palpi uniformly dark scaled
quadrimaczdatus
1. Abdomen with six pairs of dorsal palmate tufts.. 2 Abdomen with five pairs of dorsal palmate tufts.. 3
2. Mandibles with eleven terminal teeth; six branched hairs on mandibles arranged in an outward projecting ...................................................... row quadrimaculatus
Mandibles with nine terminal teeth; ten branched hairs on mandibles, arranged in a forward project- ing row ............................................................. walkeri 3. Lateral plate of the eighth abdominal segment with 22-29 (8 to 9 long) teeth ....................... .maculipennis Lateral plate of the eighth abdominal segment with 17-22 (usually 6-7 long) teeth ............... .punctipennis 1. Abdominal segments transversely white banded api- cally .................................................................... apicalis Abdominal segments with white bands basally or none .......................................................................... 2 2. Abdominal segments without basal white bands salinarius
Abdominal segments with basal white bands ........ 3
3. Basal white band of the second abdominal segment usually not triangularly produced medianly t errit ans
Basal white band of the second abdominal segment .................... triangularly produced medianly pipiens



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238 Psyche [September
Larvae
1. Antenna with the tuft at or before the middle t erritans
Antenna with the tuft well beyond the middle.. ...... 2 2. Both upper and lower head hairs multiple ........ 3 Both upper and lower head hairs not multiple,. . .apicalis 3. Air tube long and slender-7 x 1, slightly expanded before the apex ........................................... salinarius Air tube not over 5 x 1, uniformly tapering toward the . .
apex ................................................................... .-s Adults
1. Tarsi not white marked ............................................ 2 Tarsal joints or some of them white marked. ....... 12 2. Mesonotum with silvery or golden markings ........ 3 Mesonotum gray, brown, or golden yellow with a single median dark longitudinal band, two narrow lines, or unmarked ................................................ 6 3. Mesonotum with two yellowish or yellowish silvery - stripes on a dark ground ............................... .trivittatus Mesonotum marked with silver, 'arely absent ........ 4 4. Silver in a broad or narrow line reaching scutellum or mesonotum entirely silvered (in the male) .... 5
Silver on the sides of the mesonotum, the center dark triseriatus
5. Both sexes with a narrow silver stripe .......... atlanticus Female with stripe, male mesonotum entirely silvery dupreei
6. Mesonotum with central broad undivided dark band 7 ......
Mesonoturn with divided central band or none 9




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19301 Key to the Mosquitoes of New Ewland 239 Mesonotum with median band very broad, lateral lighter color narrow .............................................. 8 Mesonotum creamy yellow at the sides.. ........ hirsuteron Mesonotum golden or reddish brown at the side, me- dian stripe sometimes divided or obsolete.. ... .punctor Yellow lateral lines straight and narrow ....... .aurif er These lines narrowed posteriorly, pale gray. .. .trichurus Mesonotum with paired brown lines ........................ 10 Mesonotum uniformly colored, without lines ........ 11 Mesonotum yellow or gray, very variable, sometimes suffused with brown centrally, or the lines obsolete; medium-sized to rather large species, legs black, ...................................
venter yellowish white .communis
Legs black with bronzy reflection, venter white implacabalis
Mesonotum yellow, lines slender, often conjoined into a median stripe, deep black ........................ .diantseus Mesonotum gray with central brown shade, lines fine, . .
.......................................
dark, a small species .%mp%ger
Mesonotum uniformly dark brown, somewhat bronzy, lower mesepimeral bristles present, a medium sized ............................................................. species .intrud ens
Mesonotum uniformly brown ; abdomen with continu- ous lateral white line, male with short palpi; mese- ....................................
pimeral bristles absent cinerus
Tarsi with white rings involving both ends of the ....................................................................... joints 13
..................................
Tarsal white rings basal only..
15
.......................
Wing-scales markedly bicolored .dorsalis Wing-scales uniformly dark, or nearly so .............. 14
Mesonotum uniformly brown, or nearly so.. . .canadensis Mesonotum pale, with broad dark median stripe atrowalms




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240 Psyche [September
Proboscis of the female white ringed .................... 16
Proboscis of the female without white ring ............ 17
Abdomen with a longitudinal page dorsal stripe sollicitans
Abdomen without a dorsal stripe ............ tasniorhynchus Tarsal pale rings broad, especially on hind legs.. .. 18
Tarsal pale rings narrow; mesonotum entirely brown 20
Wing scales broad, inflated ............................ grossbecki Wing scales narrow, normal .................................... 19
Large, without the red tint, mesonotum usually not whitish on the sides, wing scales dark; without .................................. mesepimeral bristles excruciens With 3-5 lower mesepimeral bristles. ............. stimulans Mesonotum often whitish on the sides, wings often with scattered white scales. 2 lower mesepimeral . .
bristles ......... .. ...................................................... .fitchu Terminal abdominal segments with normal pale brands ................................................................ .vexan.s Terminal abdominal segments largely pale-scaled cantator
L a m
Air tube with tuft within pecten ............................ 2
Air tube with tuft beyond pecten ............................ 3
Air tube with several dorsal hair tufts.. ..... .trichurus ...
Air tube without several dorsal hair tufts atropalpus
Pecten with detached teeth outwardly .................... 4
Pecten without detached teeth outwardly .............. 9
Air tube at least 3% times long as wide ................ 5
Air tube less than 3 times long as wide ................ 6
Both pairs of dorsal head hairs multiple ............ cinerus Both pairs of dorsal head hairs double ........ excrucians



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19301 Key to the Mosquitoes of New England 241 Antennae enlarged basally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .aurifer Antennae not enlarged basally . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . . , . .. . . . . . . .. . . ... 7 Antenna as long as head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .diantseus Antenna not as long as head .... .... . ... . .. . . .. .. .... .... .. . .... 8 Lateral abdominal hairs single beyond second intrud ens
Lateral abdominal hairs multiple on 1st and 2nd, dou- ble 3-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vexans Comb scales in a single row . ... .... ..... .. .. ...... .. ... ... ..... 10 Comb scales in a triangle . ............ .... .. .. .. .. .. .. ............. 11
Anal segment ringed by plate ..... ....... . ... .... implacabalis Anal segment not ringed by plate ..... ........... triseriatus Anal segment ringed by plate ........... .. .... .... .. ........... 12 Anal segment not ringed by plate . .... .... .... ............. 15 Upper and lower head hairs double . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .punctor Upper and lower head hairs single. .. .. .... .. . .. . ..... . . ... 13
Anal gills at least as long as anal segment.. ..trivattatus Anal gills shorter than anal segment . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . .. . . .. . 14 Lateral abdominal hairs double on 3-6 ............ sollicitans Lateral abdominal hairs triple 3-5, single on 6 tasniorhynchus
Air tube at least 4 times as long as wide. ............. 'fitchii Air tube 3 times or less as long as wide ....... .. ......... 16 Head hair single . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .;. . . . . . 17 Head hairs double or multiple ............................... 19 Anal gills at least as long as anal segment. ............. 18 Anal gills much shorter than anal segment.. . . . .dorsal's



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242 Psyche [ September
18. Scale of comb with broad apex, 4-7 stout spines communis
................
Scale of comb with single stout spine
impiger
19. Both pairs of dorsal head hairs multiple ................ 20 Both pairs of dorsal head hairs not multiple ....... 21
20. Anal gills budlike ............................................... .cantator ...............................
Anal gills well developed .canadensis
21. Lower head hairs double-upper 3 . ............ hirsuteron Upper double-lower single ............................ stimulans The following genera are each represented by a single species : Mansonia perturbans, Uranotaenia sapphirina, Psorophora ciliata, Wyeomyia smithii.
A large part of the study was restricted to the habits and biology of A. sollicitam. The eggs of this species are distributed over the salt marshes and during the summer months hatch when flooded by the waters of the tides and rains. The larvae appear soon after the marshes are flooded and under favorable conditions develop in 7 to 12 days. Usually only the larvse in the pools left by the peak tides (those most distant from the ocean, within 100 to 200 yards of the mainland) successfully complete their development since these pools are free from larva- eating fish and are not flushed by the succeeding lower tides. In a particularly dry season the water in many of the smaller pools along the edge of the marsh evaporates before the larvae complete their development, thereby ef- fecting a natural means of control. Pools formed by heavy rainfall are usually small and dry out rapidly and the larvae are destroyed.
This observation based on conditions existing along the North Shore, Massachusetts, in 1930.




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19301 Key to the Mosquitoes of New England 243 Several chlorine determinations5 of water from pools containing larvae of A. sollicitans were made. The results of these determinations indicate that the larvae can live and develop in water having a chlorine content ranging from 400 to 2900 parts per 100,000 parts of water. Since
the chlorine content of open sea water contained only 2000 parts, it is evident that larvae can developed in water having a chlorine content greater than sea water as well as in water having a chlorine content considerably less than sea water. Several evening collections of fresh water species were made in the Charles River Valley. The collections made in late May and early June yielded A. cinerus, A. excruciens and A. implacabalis in about equal numbers. During July and August the collections contained a majority of M. per- turbans. Of 120 specimens taken in one collection at Need- ham, Mass., in August, 118 were of this species, 1 of A. punc- tipennis and 1 of C. pipiens. M. perturbans is a difficult mos- quito to control as the larvae are not free swimming but attached to roots and stems of various aquatic plants. The adults are fierce biters but fortunately are weak flyers. 6These determinations were made through the courtesy of the Massachusetts State Department of Health.



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244 Psyche [September
Fig. 1. Larva of Aedes stimulans.
Ant., antenna; A. T., antennal tuft; A. A. T., ante- antennal tuft; A. G., anal gills; C., comb; D. B., dorsal brush ; D. P., dorsal plate ; E., eye ; L. A. T., lateral adbomi- nal tufts; L. H. T., lower head tuft; Mb., mandible; P., pecten; S., siphon ; S. D., subdorsal tuft ; S. H. T., siphonal hair tuft; St., stigma; U. H. T., upper head tuft; V. B., ventral brush (after Matheson).
Fig. 2. Larva of Anopheles punctipennis. Cl., clypeal hairs; F. H., float hairs; St., stigma (after
Matheson).




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