PROCEEDINGS OF THE Entomological Society of Washington VOL. 33 JUNE, 1931 No. 6 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BRAZILIAN CULICIDAE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THOSE CAPABLE OF HARBORING THE YELLOW FEVER VIRUS.' By Raymond C. Shannon. {From the Yellow Fever Laboratory of the International Health Division oj the Rockefeller Foundation, at Bahia, Brazil.) CONTENTS. I. Introduction. II. Relation between the Habits of the Adults and their External Characters. III. Key to the Tribes and Genera of Brazilian Culicidae. IV. Classification of the Brazilian Representatives of Psorophora, A'edes, and Mansonia. V. Note on the "Species" of Chagasia. VI. The subgenus Stethomyia. VII. The Larva of Sabethes cyaneus Fabr. I. INTRODUCTION. Experiments carried on in the yellow fever laboratory at Bahia during the last two years (1929-1930, Davis and Shannon) indicate that the Brazilian species of Culicidae which are capable of harboring the yellow fever virus for periods of time longer than the usual incubation period in stegomyia all belong to a single tribe, the Culicini, and further that this condition is restricted to certain genera within the tribe, namely: Psorophora, Aedes, and Mansonia. The only other species of the tribe Culicini which annoy man to any great extent belong to the genus Culex, and of these, C. quinqnefasciatus is the chief offender in the tropics. However, experiments conducted on this species have shown it to be at least a highly unfavorable host for the virus of yellow fever. In connection with these observations, it is of interest to note that the species of the genus Culex are considered to have been, originally, feeders on avian blood. (It would appear that C. quinquefasciatus has retained this instinct to a large extent, 'The studies and observations on which this paper is based were conducted with the support and under the auspices of the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation.
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