ALAN STONE Bredin-Archbold-

^ Smithsonian Biological

y Survey of Dominica:

^m The Mosquitoes

of Dominica k

W (Diptera: Culicidae)

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY • 1969 NUMBER 16

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO

ZOOLOGY

NUMBER 16

Aim stone Bredin-ArchboldSmithsonian Biological

Survey of Dominica:

The Mosquitoes of

Dominica

(Diptera: Culicidae)

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS

CITY OF WASHINGTON

1969
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ABSTRACT

Twenty-two species of mosquitoes are reported from the island of Dominica, seventeen

for the first time. The synonymy of Wyeomyia medioalbipes (Lutz) is discussed and W.

adelpha Dyar and Knab is resurrected, with W. ablabes Dyar and Knab and W. rolonca

Dyar and Knab placed as synonyms of it. Notes on biology and distribution are given

for all species.

The material on which this paper is based was collected mostly by Dale F. Bray, J. F. G. Clarke, R. E.

Darsie, Jr., H. E. Evans, R. J. Gagne, A. B. Gurney,

P. J. Spangler, G. E. Steyskal, and W. W. Wirth for

the Bredin-Archbold-Smithsonian Biological Survey of

Dominica. The only other material includes a small

number of specimens collected by August Busck in

1905, one collection made prior to 1908 by F. E. Campbell, a few specimens taken in 1944 by an unknown

collector, and a few collected by Clarke in 1956, and

Darsie in 1959. The fauna consists of 22 species, 17 of

which are reported from Dominica for the first time,

but all previously described and none confined to

Dominica. The following species are known from

Dominica:

1. Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) aquasalis Curry

2. Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) argyritarsis Robineau-Desvoidy

3. Toxorhynchites (Lynchiella) guadeloupensis (Dyar and

Knab)

4. Trichoprosopon (Isostomyia) perturbans (Williston)

5. Wyeomyia (Wyeomyia) medioalbipes Lutz

6. Wyeomyia (Wyeomyia) pertinans (Williston)

7. Limatus durhami Edwards

8. Psorophora (Janthinosoma)ferox (Humboldt)

9. Aedes (Ochlerotatus) taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann)

10. Aedes (Ochlerotatus) tortilis Theobald

11. Aedes (Howardina) busckii (Coquillett)

12. Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus)

13. Culex (Culex) declarator Dyar and Knab

14. Culex (Culex) inftictus Theobald

15. Culex (Culex) nigripalpus Theobald

16. Culex (Culex) pipiens quinquefasciatus Say

17. Culex (Culex) secutor Theobald

18. Culex (Melanoconion) atratus Theobald

19. Culex (Melanoconion) elevator Dyar and Knab

20. Culex (Melanoconion) idottus Dyar

21. Culex (Aedinus) bisulcatus (Coquillett)

22. Deinocerites magnus (Theobald)

Alan Stone, Systematic Entomology Laboratory (United

States Department of Agriculture), Smithsonian Institution,

Washington, D.C. 20560.

As the original citations and synonymy for all of

the species can be found in Stone, Knight, and Starcke

(1959), they are not repeated in this paper.

The mosquito fauna of Dominica may be divided

into several zoogeographical categories. Three of the

species, Trichoprosopon perturbans, Wyeomyia pertinans, and Aedes busckii, appear to be confined to the

Lesser Antilles. All of these species probably breed in

water held in plants or in artificial containers. Several

other species are primarily Caribbean, some extending

down eastern South America to southern Brazil. These

are Wyeomyia medioalbipes, Aedes tortilis, Culex secutor, C. atratus, C. bisulcatus, and Deinocerites magnus.

The majority of the species are more widely distributed

in the neotropical region. In this group are the two

Anopheles, the Limatus, and the Toxorhynchites, as

well as Culex declarator, C. inflictus, C. nigripalpus, C.

elevator, and C. idottus. With the exception of C.

nigripalpus, which extends to the United States, and

T. guadeloupensis, which reaches to Hispaniola, all of

these species are primarily continental neotropical, the

records from the Lesser Antilles being northward extensions from South America. Two other species,

Psorophora ferox and Aedes taeniorhynchus, have an

even wider distribution in the New World, the latter

primarily coastal. Finally there are two highly domesticated tropicopolitan species, Aedes aegypti and Culex

pipiens quinquefasciatus.

As all of the species have been rather well described,

keyed, and figured previously, I have confined the following remarks to brief statements on distribution and

biology and to a listing of the collection data for

Dominica.

1. Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) aquasalis Curry

This species was described from Panama, and it is

found from Nicaragua and the island of Antigua to

1
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY

Ecuador and the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is primarily a coastal species, breeding in brackish water,

although it may be found in salt marshes, mangrove

swamps, ditches, and the shallow margins of rivers

breeding in the open sun. This may be an important

malaria carrier and will feed on man both indoors and

outside, but it is primarily a zoophilic species on domestic animals. It is most active at dusk and will bite

all night. It has a flight range up to nearly 5 miles.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Cabrits Swamp, light trap,

23 February 1965 (Wirth), 54 9 5 t ; Clarke Hall,

21-28 February, light trap (Wirth), 2 9 ; 21-31

March, light trap (Wirth), 1 9 ; Portsmouth, 2 March

1964, at light (Bray); 19-21 October 1966 (Gurney),

1 9.

2. Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) argyritarsis RchmeanDesvoidy

This is a widespread neotropical species, ranging

from Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Antigua, West Indies,

to Argentina and Uruguay. It breeds in freshwater

ground pools or swamps with little vegetation, partially shaded or exposed to sunlight, but may also be

found in rock and tree holes and water-filled hoofprints. It feeds primarily on domestic animals but will

feed on man. It usually rests outdoors especially on

grass but will rest in houses. It is probably of no importance as a malaria vector.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Bath Estate, Roseau, May

1944, 1 9,3 S; Clarke Hall, 21-31 March 1965, light

trap (Wirth), 2 $ ; Grand Bay, 13 March 1964, at

light (Bray) ,19 .

3. Toxorhynchites (Lynchiella) guadeloupensis

(Dyar and Knab)

This is the only member of the genus found in the

Lesser Antilles. It has been reported from Hispaniola

to Colombia, Bolivia, and Argentina. The larvae are

found in bromeliads and feed on the larvae of mosquitoes, including their own species. The adults are not

capable of sucking blood.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Layou Valley, Clarke Hall

20-28 February 1965 (Evans), 1 6; Cocoa Trail,

Clarke Hall, 16 February 1965 (Wirth), 1 $ ; Clarke

Hall, 20 February, 14 March 1964 (Bray), 2 $;

22 May 1966 (Steyskal), 1 $ ; Antrim, 1,000 feet, 11

March 1956 (Clarke) ,19 ; Castle Bruce, 19 April,

1959, ex bromeliad (Darsie), 1 $ ; Manets Gutter,

21 March 1964 (Bray),3 9.

4. Trichoprosopon (Isostomyia) per turbans

(WUliston)

Williston described this species from St. Vincent from

eight specimens, although now only four are in the

British Museum. Two of these four are males but the

abdomens are missing and all of the specimens are

in very poor condition. Although the species was redescribed by Dyar (1928), including a description of

the male terminalia, he did not have the species before

him, and there are no other specimens under this name

in the United States National Museum. Dyar's description was apparently drawn from that of Bonne-Wepster and Bonne (1921). They described the male from

a topotype found among specimens of Wyeomyia pertinans Williston.

I have identified the specimens listed below as this

species for several reasons. Trichoprosopon perturbans

is the only member of the genus reported from the

Lesser Antilles; these specimens do not agree with any

other described member of the subgenus; the male

terminalia agree very well with Dyar's description except that the number of spines on tergum IX instead

of being 7/7 are 6/7 and 5/5 in the two terminalia

mounted; externally the specimens fit the original and

subsequent descriptions of perturbans, except that the

line separating the dark and light scales of the abdomen is somewhat sinuous rather than being a "nearly

straight line." Collection of good material from St.

Vincent might show that the species on Dominica is

undescribed, but at present it would seem unwise to

assume this. Although the species has been reported

from Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela, none of

these records has been confirmed. Nothing is known of

the biology of this species.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Clarke Hall, 11, 31 January

1965, malaise trap (Wirth) ,29 ; Clarke Hall Estate,

28 March 1966 (Gagne*), 1 9 ; Manets Gutter,

1 March 1965 (Wirth), 1 $ ; Fond Figues River,

400 feet, 12, 29 April 1966 (Gagne*), 2 S.

5. Wyeomyia (Wyeomyia) medioalbipes Lutz

This species was not rediscovered on Dominica by

this survey, but the name is included here because

Dominica is the type locality of Wyeomyia abia Dyar

and Knab, which supposedly is a synonym of medioalbipes. The type series of abia consists of the lectotype

female and a male with terminalia missing. Wyeomyia

abia was first synonymized with W. quasiluteoventralis
NUMBER 16

(Theobald) by Dyar (1928). Later Lane (1953) decided to reject the name quasiluteoventralis on the

grounds that no type could be found and the species

could not be recognized from the original description.

For quasiluteoventralis of later authors he accepted

medioalbipes after removing W. telestica Dyar and

Knab from the synonymy. Bruijning (1959) gave excellent illustrations of the male terminalia, larva, and

pupa of medioalbipes, resynonymized telestica, and

placed W. mitchellii (Theobald) and all of its supposed synonyms except W. labesba Howard, Dyar, and

Knab in synonymy. Bruijning also included W. homothe Dyar and Knab, transferring it from synonymy

under W. scotinomus (Dyar and Knab), and W. fallax

Bonne-Wepster and Bonne, transferring it from synonymy under W. oblita (Lutz). He also suggested that

W. charmion Dyar might be synonymous.

I favor considering quasiluteoventralis as being unidentifiable and accepting the name medioalbipes

based on the male syntype in the British Museum. As

junior synonyms of W. medioalbipes Lutz, 1904, I accept the following: Dendromyia mitchellii Theobald,

1905, D. jamaicensis Theobald, 1905, Wyeomyia

ochrura Dyar and Knab, 1906, W. telestica Dyar and

Knab, 1906, W. antoinetta Dyar and Knab, 1909, and

W. quasiluteoventralis var. colsoni Senevet and

Quievreux, 1941.

The following species either were based on females

or larvae or on males for which no terminalia are

available and therefore the identity cannot be certain.

As these species fall within the known range of medioalbipes and as a synonymy with one of the abovementioned synonyms has already been made, there

seems to be no reason for not accepting the synonymy

under medioalbipes. These species are: Wyeomyia

violescens Dyar and Knab, 1906, W. glaucocephala

Dyar and Knab, 1906, W. abascanta Dyar and Knab,

1908, W. abia Dyar and Knab, 1908, and W. fallax

Bonne-Wepster and Bonne, 1919. This last species

was described from the female and larva only, but a

male determined as fallax by Bonne-Wepster labeled,

"Surinam 1918" in the United States National Museum agrees well with medioalbipes.

For reasons given below, I do not accept the following species as synonyms of medioalbipes.

Wyeomyia adelpha Dyar and Knab, 1906: This

species was described from females only—the ten

known specimens of the type series are all females—

but because it was described from Costa Rica and because a male from Costa Rica determined by Dyar as

adelpha shows a distinct difference in the terminalia,

it cannot be considered synonymous with medioalbipes.

No chronologically prior name appears to be available

for this species. If we accept Dyar*s determination of

the male as correct, it appears necessary to resurrect

the name adelpha. It is possible that guatemala is

synonymous, but if this becomes evident from further

study I would favor retaining the name adelpha for

the species. Two other names appear to be junior

synonyms of adelpha, namely W. ablabes Dyar and

Knab and W. rolonca Dyar and Knab (new synonymy). Probably most specimens from Central

America that have been determined as mitchellii are

actually adelpha, and some of the synonyms of W.

scotinomus Dyar and Knab may also be adelpha.

Fortunately adelpha has priority over all of these. The

need remains for a thorough revision of all the members of the subgenus Wyeomyia.

Wyeomyia guatemala Dyar and Knab, 1906: This

is based on females only, but as it comes from Guatemala identity with medioalbipes is very doubtful. As

stated above, it is quite possible that this is a synonym

of adelpha.

Wyeomyia homothe Dyar and Knab, 1907: This

species also was described from a female from Panama. In the absence of evidence to the contrary it

should remain as a synonym of W. scotinomus.

Wyeomyia ablabes Dyar and Knab, 1908: The

lectotype male of this species agrees very well with the

species that I have considered above as adelpha, and I

have therefore placed ablabes in synonymy.

Wyeomyia ablechra Dyar and Knab, 1908: This

species was described from the female only, but because

the type locality is El Salvador identity with medioalbipes is very doubtful. It will have to remain as an

unidentified species for the present.

Wyeomyia rolonca Dyar and Knab, 1910: The type

male of this species also agrees well with adelpha and

I have therefore synonymized it above.

Wyeomyia labesba Dyar and Knab, 1913: The lectotype of this species is a larval skin with associated female. Because its type locality is Panama it is doubtful

that this is medioalbipes. A male from Majagual, Canal

Zone, has been determined as labesba but identification

is uncertain. This male is more like the lectotype of

scotinomus than anything else, but the identity is not

certain. Although I have seen many males determined

as scotinomus or as some of the current synonyms of
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY

that species, none agree well with the lectotype of

scotinomus.

Wyeomyia charmion Dyar, 1928: The terminalia of

the type male of this species is distinctly different from

that of medioalbipes and apparently from any other

known species, so Bruijning's suggestion that it might

be a synonym of medioalbipes is not supported.

I have identified Wyeomyia medioalbipes from

Florida, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Dominica (if abia

is properly synonymized), Trinidad, Venezuela, Surinam, British Guiana, and Brazil as far south as the

States of Bahia and Goias. I have seen no specimens

from west of Venezuela in South America or from

Mexico or Central America. The larvae are found

normally in water in Bromeliaceae, but they may also

be found in tree holes and bamboo stumps. The females

may feed on man.

DOMINICA RECORD.—No data (F. E. Campbell),

1 9 ,1 3 (type series of abia).

6. Wyeomyia (Wyeomyia) pertinans (Williston)

This species was described from St. Vincent, and the

only specimen in the United States National Museum

is a syntype female. It has been reported also from

Barbados, Grenada, and St. Lucia, and with some

degree of certainty from Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago,

Central America, and Mexico with varying degrees

of doubt. Until males can be studied from all of the

areas these doubts will remain. As all the specimens

listed below are females, identification cannot be certain either, but the geographical distribution and

agreement with the original specimen makes the determination probably correct. Nothing is known of the

biology of this species.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Pont Casse, 23 November

1964 (Spangler), 1 9 ; 1.5 miles north, 12 February

1965 (Wirth), 6 5 ; 2 miles east, 5 May 1966 (Gagne),

1 $ ; 5 miles east, 11 April 1966 (Gagn6), 1 9 ;

D'lean Gommier, 13 May 1966 (Steyskal), 1 9 ; Fresh

Water Lake, 13 May 1966 (Steyskal), 1 9 ; 2,500

feet, 5 April 1966 (Gagne), 1 9 ; 5-8 November

(Gurney), 1 9 ; 21, 23 February 1964 (Bray), 5 9 ;

1 mile north of junction of roads to Rosalie and Castle

Bruce, 300 feet, 29 March 1966 (Gagne), 1 9;

Trafalgar Falls, 15 March 1964 (Bray), 1 9 ; Boeri

Lake, 22 February 1964 (Bray), 1 9 ; Sylvania, 9,

10 February 1964 (Bray), 2 9 ; S. Chiltern, 6, 7 February 1964 (Bray), 4 9 ; Clarke Hall, 13 February

1964 (Bray), 1 9.

Wyeomyia species

Three larvae were collected from bromeliads, but

these were not associated with adults and cannot be

determined.

7. Limatus durhami Edwards

MacDonald (1917) found this species to be very

abundant on Grenada, the northernmost record in the

Lesser Antilles until this survey. It is a widespread

continental species from Mexico to Argentina. It is

fortunate that a single male was collected, as L.

durhami and L. hoffmani Root from Haiti cannot be

distinguished in the female.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Fond Figues River, 9 February 1965, rain forest (Wirth), 1 9 ; Clarke Hall,

28 March, 15, 24 April, 8 May 1966 (Gagne), 5 9,

I $ ; 11,14,19, 20, 21, 24 May, 3, 11 June (Steyskal),

II 9 ; 13 February 1964 (Bray), 5 9 .

8. Psorophora (Janthinosoma) ferox (Humboldt)

Psorophora ferox is a widespread species with many

synonyms and is found from northern United States

to Argentina. It is probably present through most of

the Lesser Antilles in small numbers, but the only published record is that of the type-series of Janthinosoma

terminalis Coquillett from St. Lucia Island. The larvae

are found in transient rain pools where they develop

rapidly. The adults are conspicuous day flyers, particularly in the forest, and they bite severely.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Clarke Hall Estate, 4, 6, 11,

12 June 1966 (Steyskal), 4 9 ; Mt. Espagnol, 18

March 1964 (Bray) ,19 .

9. Aedes (Ochlerotatus) taeniorhynchus

(Wiedemann)

This is a widely distributed species, occurring from

Massachusetts to Brazil and California to Peru, and

throughout the Antilles and Galapagos Islands. The

larvae are usually found in salt marshes although they

may occur in adjacent freshwater pools, and they may

be found far inland where there are brackish pools.

Very large populations may build up on the seacoast

under conditions of high tide and heavy rains and the

adults fly considerable distances from their breeding

places. They are persistent biters, feeding at any time

of the day out of doors. Aedes taeniorhynchus is one of

the major pest species in coastal areas.
NUMBER 16

DOMINICA RECORD.—Gabrits Swamp, 23 February

1965, light trap (Wirth) 8 9 .

10. Aedes (Ochlerotatus) tortilis Theobald

This species has been reported from southern Florida,

Bahamas, Mexico, Guatemala, the Greater Antilles,

and the Virgin Islands. The records from Mexico

and Guatemala (Martini, 1935) have not been confirmed and are somewhat suspect. The single specimen

reported here represents a considerable southward

extension of the range of the species. Aedes tortilis is a

ground-pool breeder and has been found from sea

level up to 3,000 feet. It will attack man, and the bite

is said to be irritating.

DOMINICA RECORD.—Clarke Hall, 7 June 1966

(Steyskal),l 5.

11. Aedes (Howardina) busckii (Coquillett)

The type-locality for this species was originally given

as Santo Domingo, but this was later corrected to Dominica. It is apparently confined to the Lesser Antilles

and has been collected on St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe,

Dominica, Martinique, and Grenada. A report of the

species from Jamaica has not been verified and is quite

probably erroneous. The larvae are found in tree holes,

bamboo nodes, cacao shells, and water held in leaf

axils. There are no reports of it biting man.

DOMINICA RECORD.—Coconut plantation, 28 July,

1905 (Busck), 1 9, 2£ (type series); Clarke Hall,

21-31 January 1965, malaise trap (Wirth), 39 ;

24 January 1965, ex Colocasia and tree hole (Wirth),

2 9 ; 11, 19, 24 May, 1, 3, 10, 11, 12 June, 1966 (Steyskal), 15 9, 1 $ ; 3 May 1966 (Gagne), 1 9 ; 10 October 1966 (Gurney), 1 9 ; 12-17, 23 November 1964

(Spangler), 2 9 ; 11 March 1964 (Bray), 19 , 1 S ;

near Castle Bruce, 19 April 1959, ex bamboo (Darsie),

5 9 , 6 £ , 16 larvae, 3 pupae.

12. Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus)

The only specimens of the yellow-fever mosquito

that I have seen from Dominica were collected by

August Busck in 1905. The Bredin-Archbold-Smithsonian Survey failed to find this species, which undoubtedly was one of the commonest pest species on

the island at one time. Soper (1965) lists Dominica as

one of the islands still with Aedes aegypti in 1961. This

failure to find it may be due either to an eradication

campaign or to not searching in buildings for adults or

in artificial containers for larvae.

This domesticated mosquito, important as the vector

of urban yellow fever and dengue, has been so publicized that further remarks on its biology are

superfluous.

DOMINICA RECORD.—Reared from larvae in water

barrel on sugar estate out in country, 28 July 1905

(Busck),2 9.

13. Culex (Culex) declarator Dyar and Knab

Culex declarator is a very widely distributed neotropical species with seven currently recognized synonyms (Bram, 1967). Originally described from Trinidad, it is known from Texas to Peru and Brazil but

records south of this probably refer to C. bidens Dyar.

It has been collected as far north as St. Thomas in the

Lesser Antilles, but it is not known from the Greater

Antilles. Two of the synonyms, dictator Dyar and Knab

and vindicator Dyar and Knab, came from Dominica.

This species breeds in small accumulations of water

usually having a rather high vegetative organic content. These may be tree holes, artificial containers, and

ground pools of all sorts, in either sunshine or shade.

The adults appear to prefer animals other than man,

although they will feed on man and invade his habitations under jungle conditions. It has been found infected with St. Louis Encephalitis virus in Trinidad.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—In cocoa pods, rotten, stinking,

half solid water, 28 July 1905 (Busck) 4 $ , 1 9 (type

series of vindicator); at bottom of rather deep (30 feet)

cave in mountain side, clear sulphurous water, 28 July

1905 (Busck) ,53,1 9 (type series of dictator); Batali

River near Colihaut, 5 May 1966 (Gagne), 1 $ .

14. Culex (Culex) inflictus Theobald

This species is known from Mexico to Colombia and

Venezuela and in the Lesser Antilles at least as far

north as Guadeloupe. Records from Cuba, the Virgin

Islands, and Grenada have not been verified. This is

the first report of its occurrence on Dominica. The

larvae are found in crabholes and similar ground pools

near the coast. Nothing is known of the biology of the

adult.

DOMINICA RECORD.—Clarke Hall, 15 May 1966

(Steyskal), 1 $ .
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY

15. Culex (Culex) nigripalpus Theobald

This is a widely distributed species, occurring from

Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and the Bahamas

south to Ecuador and Brazil as far south as Sao Paulo.

It probably occurs throughout the Antilles, although

this survey provided the first known records from Dominica. The larvae are found in a wide variety of freshwater habitats, either permanent or semipermanent,

and they may be found in leaf axils, artificial containers

and temporary ground pools. It is primarily a zoophilic,

outdoor species, although it will bite man and occasionally has been taken in houses. Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been isolated from C. nigripalpus in

Trinidad and St. Louis Encephalitis virus from it in

Jamaica.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Manets Gutter, 7 March

1965, rock pool (Wirth), 15, 3 larvae; Clarke Hall,

21-28 February, 21-31 March 1965, at light (Wirth),

2 S, 5 9 ; Grande Savane, 22 March 1964, stagnant

water (Bray) , 1 5 ; Batali River near Colihaut, 5 May

1966 (Gagn6),25.

16. Culex (Culex) pipiens quinquefasciatus Say

The southern house mosquito is one of the most

ubiquitous species, being found throughout the tropics

and subtropics wherever man dwells. As with Aedes

aegypti so much has been written about the species

there is no need to repeat it here. This is a domesticated

species, commonly found in homes and biting at night,

and the larvae are found in ground pools and artificial

containers. It is a vector of Wuchereria bancrofti, several strains of encephalitis, and bird malaria.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—In old sugar-water boiler,

28 July 1905 (Busck), 6 5,3$ ; Clarke Hall, 21-31

February 1965 (Wirth), 2 5 .

17. Culex (Culex) secutor Theobald

Culex secutor is probably restricted to the West Indies.

It was described from Jamaica and is abundant there

and on Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Dominica is probably the most southern verified occurrence of the

species. The larvae are found in the cooler waters

of permanent pools at high altitudes, in deeply shaded

pools of the lowlands, or in containers such as tree

holes and bamboo. The females bite during the day in

the shade.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—28 July, 1905 (Busck), 1 $ ;

Clarke Hall, 21-31 February, 1965 (Wirth), 1$ ;

Pont Casse-Castle Bruce Road, 19 April, 1959, ex

bamboo (Darsie), 3 5,1 larva, 2 pupae.

18. Culex (Melanoconion) atratus Theobald

Culex atratus is found from the Florida Keys and

the Bahamas through the Antilles at least as far as

Dominica from which it is here reported for the first

time. It was described from Jamaica and Trinidad,

and no lectotype has been selected. Records from

northern South America, Brazil, and Panama have not

been verified and they are open to suspicion, and it is

possible that the original Trinidad material will prove

to be another species. Very little is known of its biology.

It is a ground-pool breeder, but there are no verified

reports on the feeding habits of the adults.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Layou River mouth, 15 January 1965 (Wirth) ,15 ; Cabrits Swamp, 23 February

1965 (Wirth), 17 5 ; Portsmouth, 2 March 1965,

at light (Bray) ,15,1$ .

19. Culex (Melanoconion) elevator Dyar and Knab

This is a widely distributed neotropical species, found

from Mexico to Peru and Argentina. A record from

Puerto Rico is rather doubtful, but it has been found

in the Lesser Antilles on Grenada and Guadeloupe

and now on Dominica. The larvae have been found

in ground and rock pools usually in or near stream

beds. Nothing is known of the feeding habits of the

adults.

DOMINICA RECORDS (all Wirth).—Manets Gutter,

5, 7, 10 March 1965, light trap and reared from rock

pool in stream bed, 14 5, 5$ , 13 larvae; Clarke

Hall, 8-10 January 1965, 2 5 ; 11-12 January 1965,

15,4$ ; 1-10 March 1965, 2 5 ; 21-31 March 1965,

2 5 , 4$ .

20. Culex (Melanoconion) idottus Dyar

This species has been collected from Trinidad to

Argentina, but this survey discovered it in the Lesser

Antilles for the first time. The larva has not been

identified, and nothing is known of the biology of the

adults.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Cabrits Swamp, 23 February, 1965 (Wirth), 13 5 ; Clarke HalL 4 June 1966

(Steyskal), 55 .
NUMBER 16

21. Culex (Aedinus) bisulcatus (Coquillett)

In the mosquito catalog of Stone, Knight, and Starcke

(1959) this species was listed as Aedes americanus

(Neveu-Lemaire), but Fauran (1961) questioned the

synonymy and treated americanus as a nomen dubium.

This is quite probably correct and bisulcatus is the

next available name with antillummagnorum Dyar

as a synonym. I have seen specimens from Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Mona Island, St. Croix, St.

Martin, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, and Dominica. It

has also been reported from Saba and Jamaica. The

occurrence of this species in Trinidad and French

Guiana, as listed in the mosquito catalog, is very doubtful so that, as in the case of Culex secutor, Dominica

is the southernmost verified locality.

The larvae are usually found in bromeliads, but they

have also been collected from water at the base of

Spanish bayonet and in artificial containers. The adults

fly and bite during the daytime and are abundant and

widespread particularly after rains.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—1 mile north of Castle Bruce

at junction of road to Rosalie, 1,300 feet, 29 March

1966 (Gagne), 1 9, 1 3 ; 23 April 1966 (Gagne) ,29 ,

1 3 ; 1.5 miles from Castle Bruce, ex bromeliads, 19

April 1959 (Darsie), 15 larvae, 3 pupae; Clarke Hall,

20 February 1964 (Bray), 1 3 ; Fond Figues River,

30 January 1965 (Wirth), 13 ; 9 February 1965

(Wirth), 23 , 19 ; 400 feet, 12, 29 April 1966

(Gagn6) ,19,13 ; Layou Valley Road, ex bromeliad,

18 April 1959 (Darsie), 2 3,19, 2 larvae, 1 pupa;

Manets Gutter, 10 March 1965 (Wirth), 1 9 ; Pont

Casse, 1.5 miles north, 12 February 1965 (Wirth),

1 3 ; 2 miles east, 10 April, 5 May 1966 (Gagn6) ,29 ;

2.3 miles east, ex bromeliad, 19 April 1959 (Darsie), 14

larvae, 1 pupa, 2 3 ; 3.5 miles east, 25, 27 February

1965 (Wirth) ,13, 1 larva; 5 miles east, 11 April 1966

(Gagn6), 13 .

22. Deinocerites magnus (Theobald)

This is the only member of the genus Deinocerites

known from the Lesser Antilles, and it has been collected on many of the islands, although these are the

first records from Dominica. It ranges from Mona

Island west of Puerto Rico to British Guiana, Surinam,

and northern Brazil. The larvae breed in crabholes

along the coast. Adults have been reported as entering

houses and feeding on man in Surinam and as being

attracted to horses in Brazil.

DOMINICA RECORDS.—Layou River Mouth, 15, 20

January 1965 (Wirth), 16 9 ; 11 February 1964

(Bray) ,19 ; Macoucheri, 14 January, 5 March 1965

(Wirth), 39 ; Cabrits Swamp, 23 February 1965,

light trap (Wirth), 45 9 ; 10-13 May 1965 (Davis),

7 9 ; Postsmouth, 2 March 1964 (Bray) ,39,1- 2 April

1966 (Gagne"), 2 9.

Dubious Record

Anopheles vestitipennis Dyar and Knab: Dyar (1928)

listed Dominica in the distribution of this species, but

this locality is not mentioned in any of the references

that Dyar listed, and there have been no records of it

from the island. No specimens have been found in the

U.S. National Museum and it is possible that Dyar's

record was an error for two specimens from the Dominican Republic. The species is known from Mexico

to Colombia and in the Greater Antilles from Cuba

and Jamaica to Puerto Rico, but there is no verified

record from the Lesser Antilles.

Literature Cited

Bonne-Wepster, J., and C. Bonne

1921. Notes on South American Mosquitos in the British

Museum (Diptera: Culicidae). Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus, 9(1-3): 1-26.

Bruijning, C. F. A.

1959. Notes on Wyeomyia Mosquitos of Suriname, with

a Description of Wyeomyia surinamensis sp. n.

Studies on the Fauna of Suriname and Other Guyanas, 3(8): 99-146, illustrated. The Hague.

Bram, Ralph A.

1967. Classification of Culex Subgenus Culex in the New

World (Diptera: Culicidae). Proceedings of the

United States National Museum, 120(3557):

1-122, illustrated.

Dyar, Harrison G.

1928. The Mosquitos of the Americas. Carnegie Institution of Washington, 387:1-616, illustrated.

Fauran, P.

1961. Notes sur les moustiques de la Guyane. Archives

de I'Institut Pasteur de la Guyane Francaise et de

I'Inini, 464:1-15, illustrated.

Lane, John

1953. Neotropical Culicidae. Two volumes, 1112 pages,

illustrated. University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Macdonald, Angus

1917. Notes on Blood-Sucking Flies in Grenada. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 7:259-264,

illustrated.

Martini, E.

1935. Los mosquitos de Mexico. Despartamento de Salubridad PublicaciSn, Boletin Ticnico, series A, 1:

1-65.
8 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY

Soper, F. L. Stone, Alan, K. L. Knight, and H. Starcke

1965. The 1964 Status of Aedes aegypti Eradication and 1959. A Synoptic Catalog of the Mosquitos of the World.

Yellow Fever in the Americas. American Journal 6:1-358. The Thomas Say Foundation.

of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 14:887-891.

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