half length of body, black, with a silvery-white band in the middle; labella lighter in colour. Palpi black, scaled, black bristles, apex with fine silvery-white scales; a peculiar raised papilla on penultimate segment (Fig. 2). Clypeus black. Torus black anteriorly, with a number of scales on inner margin; posteriorly golden brown.

Antennae thirteen-jointed, length same as proboscis, (2.5 mm.); black, flagellar segment lighter in colour, covered with short black hairs and scattered longer black verticillate hairs. Eyes greenish-black, with a golden sheen; a band of golden scales below the eyes; a longitudinal row of golden scales from nape to frons. Occiput

Fig. 1.—Aedes (Finlaya) notoscriptus ♀
Fig. 6.—Unguis of ♀.

and nape covered with black scales and upright forked black hairs.

Thorax umber-brown to almost black; numerous blackish-bronze coloured spindle-shaped scales; round the margins are numerous long black bristles. One median silvery and sometimes golden line running from cervix to two-thirds distant posteriorly when it bifurcates and continues to scutellum. Two short medio-lateral lines made up of golden hairs; these continue posteriorly to one-third length of thorax. Two lateral curved lines of golden hairs, which also run to scutellum; lateral again to these are two other thin lines of silvery-white. Scutellum trilobed, black except a stripe of flat silvery-white scales situated basally. Five bristles on median lobe, three on lateral lobe. Metanotum pale brown. Halteres with a pale stem and knob, black patch on inner and upper margin.

Pleural pilotaxy (Fig. 3): Protergum is dark brown in colour, carrying 8 to 10 strong light-coloured pronotal bristles and a band of silvery-white scales. Pro-episternum golden yellow in colour, carrying 6 to 12 strong prosternal bristles; on the posterior end are several white scales. Pro-epimeron carries two pro-epimeral bristles covering the first spiracular, black scales and white scales

are scattered about the posterior margin. Spiracular area has 6 to 8 bristles, but in no way do they cover the first spiracle, black scales are present and a band of white scales on lower margin; between this area and the mesepisternum is a patch of white scales.

Fig. 2.—Palpus of ♀.
Fig. 3.—Pleural pilotaxy of A. notoscriptus.
Fig. 4.—White pleural scales.
Fig. 5.—Pleural scales.

Mesepisternum carries 10 to 20 pre-alar bristles; its posterior margin is bordered by a fringe of sterno-pleural bristles: several patches of white scales are also present. Mesepimeron has a large number of upper mesepimeral bristles; two patches of white scales are also present, these are broad and short (Fig. 4). The black scales are crescentic (Fig. 5).

Legs—Fore-leg: coxa and trochanta pale; femur black, pale at base, with a line of white scales down each side; knee joint white. Tibia black, with a line of white scales along each side. First and second tarsals black with a broad white proximal band; third tarsal black, with a few white scales at basal end; fourth and fifth tarsals black. Mid-leg: black, with much wider band of white scales along entire, length, and an apical patch of white scales. Tibia black, with the same longitudinal white band and a faint white band near proximal joint. First tarsal with white basal patch. Second with large white basal band. Third, fourth and fifth black. Hind-leg: femur black, with line of white scales along each side; knee joint white, tibia with much broader white line, which, however finishes at apical two-thirds. Tarsal joints: first and second

with broad white basal band and faint apical band, third and fourth with white basal band only, fifth all white except for a few brown scales at apex. Hind tarsus half as long again as the others. Ungues of fore-leg long, almost straight and simple, Ungues of mid-leg shorter than fore and more curved. Ungues of hind-leg simple, smaller than others, with signs of a rudimentary tooth (Fig. 6).

Wings (Fig. 7) 4.5 mm. long. Veins covered with black scales. Cell R.2 much longer and narrower than cell M.2, base of cell R.2 almost level with that of M.2, if anything a little nearer the base of the wing stem, less than one-third the length of the fork cell. Cell M.2 about one and one-third times the length of stem. Posterior cross vein twice its own length distant from the mid cross vein.

Fig. 7.—Wing of Aedes notoscriptus.
Fig. 8.—Fringe scales.
Fig. 9.—Median vein scales.
Fig. 10.—Lateral vein scales.

Fringe scales (Fig. 8) long, tapered and curved, lighter in colour than vein scales (Figs. 9 and 10); median vein scales (Fig. 9) broad and shorter than lateral (Fig. 10).

Male: Head similar to that of female, but with a distinct stripe of silvery-white scales round the eyes, and a patch of golden scales on the frons. Palpi longer than proboscis, brown, with dark brown scales basally, these becoming darker towards apex; patches or bands of white scales on last two joints. Proboscis black, a white band on base of the apical half; length 5 mm. Antennae brown, verticils silky brown; penultimate and antepenultimate segments long. Ungues of fore and mid-leg unequal and toothed (Fig. 11). Ungues of hind-leg with a trace of a small tooth.

Hypopygium (Fig. 12) long and broad at base slightly tapering posteriorly. Dorsal surface with scattered long setae and scales; the internal border of basal and sub-apical lobes covered with bristles pointing internally. Clasper narrow, tapering to a fine point; no claw or spine. Arising from the harpago area are two

long curved tapering moderately chitinised appendages which reach to two-thirds or more of the length of the lobes. Phallosome bristly.

This species differs from either of the other two being described in this paper in the thoracic ornamentation, the white banded legs and the white ring at the centre of the proboscis. It is found in New Zealand from Nelson to Auckland. It is ordinarily a sylvan species, being plentiful in shrubberies and gullies especially where the sunlight strikes through the foliage. Skuse (1888 p. 1740) describes this species as being occasionally found in houses, but in Auckland it is a frequent intruder. It is a purely daytime biter, early morning and late afternoon being the most favoured times, except on dull days, when it bites at any time.

Fig. 11.—Unguis of ♂.
Fig. 12.—Hypopygium of ♂.

Aedes (Finlaya) notoscriptus flies very quietly and does not hover around before biting as does Culex pervigilans; moreover it settles on a person's legs much more frequently than on the hands and face. It is a persistent attacker, returning again and again when driven off. It exhibits a marked preference for settling on a dark material, a preference which I have often tested; when flying, it stretches the hind-legs behind the body (as does Culex pervigilans), while Rachionotomyia argyropus, the third species described in this paper, spread its legs out laterally when in flight.

Farmers of Clevedon who have cattle grazing in the bush in the winter and spring say that black and white mosquitoes (presumably A. notoscriptus) are so numerous there in warm weather that they cause the cattle to seek the open country to escape their bites, and drovers have stated that, when conducting sheep past swamps, both they and the stock have been severely attacked by mosquitoes, the sheep being bitten on the nose and ears to such an extent as to cause a mild stampede. In Mercer, dairy-farmers have had to burn cowdung to ward off the persistent attacks of a black and white mosquite