The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-12-12

as you will have tt--with an egg. Like
a great many other insects also their
eggs hatch immature forms quite diff.
ferent from the free flying and sex
,ually competent adults. These imma.
ture forms, representing development
al stages and known as larvae and pu.
pae, are without exception aquatic.
Mosquitoes are cosmopolitan insects
occurring in arctic regions as well as in
the tropics and from sealevel up to
1900 feet They are an ancient group
of insects, having been found in fossil
condition in geological formations of
the Purbeckian period and commonly
in Tertiary ambers. AS one would ex-
pect in a group of insects comprising
a thousand and more species they also
exhibit much variety of form Those
of us whose acquaintance with the
group is confined to the usually dull
and commonplace CuleX and Ano-
pheles should see the brilliant blue
and green Megarhini or the large and
bizarre Psorophores to appreciate the
possibilities even in such obscure flies
as mosquitoes. But these would not
interest us from any other than an es.
thetic standpoint and the habits Of the
immature forms also differ greatly
from those of the ordinary mosquito
They are largely carnivorous some
hA IA,,,i,,,,,t
toes and the ones which will interest
us mostly may. be Classcd roughly i'm
three groups, the AnophiIine mosqu,-
toes, the Culicine mosquitoes, aud the
Stegomyias as a rather distinct sec
tion of the latter. These mosquitoes
are universally distributed and are
ones largely concerned in the trans
mission of diseases.
Rats of Eggs.
/ Now let me roughly sketch the life
history of one of the common culicine
mosquitoes as a type, and then go on
to their haiits. Take our CuleX fati-
gans, for instance. The eggs of this
mosquito are laid in RATS several
millimeters long and nearly as wide
These RATS consist of several hundred
eggs placed on end and standing to-
gether side by side. The eggs taper
slightly towards the upper face so
that the upper surface of the mass is
tri1e concave The raft is laid on the
surface of water and is perfectly
buoyant After a day or two the eggs
hatch and several hundred tiny wrig-
glers less than millimeter long
emerge from the lower end of the sew
eral hundred eggs. These wrigglers
or larvae are structurally fitted for an
aquatic life. They assume an upright
position in the water with head down,
jaws busily sweeping food into the
mouth, and the respiratory apparatus,
which in this mosquito opens exter-
nally through siphon projecting
from the next to the last segmenr,
slightly elevated above the surface
film. They spend much time at the
surface but occasionally make eXcur-
sions to the bottom, especially when
disturbed, moving by vigorous contor-
tiOns of the body. They grow in size
and later mOult their skins. When
several days old they become more
active, going often to the bottom in
search of an abundance of food. After
several mouths and when ten or fif.
teen days old and about five INNS.
pae, which are quite different in
form, hunched mp and looking to.
wards the shape of an adult fly, The
head and thoraX are consolidated and
rather swollen; the abdomen is repre-
scented by tail with swimming flaps
The breathing tubes are now on the
back near the head and the body as
sumes a position in the tier that
will allow these to protrude through
the surface film. The pupae are just
as active as the larvae were but as
they do not feed they move only
when alarmed. In about two days
there energies from the pupa the ma
ture free flying insect with which we
are on such intimate terms. These
come male and female mate, and the
cycle is continued by the female later
laying another batch of eggs.
Anopheline Eggs Different.
The Anopheline mosquitoes differ
somewhat in detail although agree
ing in general with the type just
sketched, Their eggs are not laid in
RATS but singly from forty to one
hundred at time, and their buoyancy
is secured by air spaces around he
edge. The larvae also are different.
The breathing organs open directly
from the last segment and there is
no siphon. The larvae lie horizon
tally in the water and feed largely at
the surface, rotating the head to Sc
cure a larger supply Of food. The