Culex pusillus Macquart, 1850

Keith Snow, 2001, The names of European mosqitoes: Part 7, European Mosqito Bulletin 9, pp. 4-8 : 7

Culex pusillus Macquart, 1850

Macquart, J. (1850) Dipteres exotiques nouveaux ou pen connus. 4 eme supplement (1850) to the year 1849. Memoires de la Societe des sciences, de l'agricultme et des arts de Lille, 309-479.

Latin, pusillus = tiny

This species is described briefly in Latin and French on page 313 from specimens collected in Egypt. The general morphological features of the female are given together with a statement of its length: " Long. 1 Y 2I". This is indicating that the length was IY 2 lignes, where one inch (un pouce) = 12 lignes. In nineteenth century France, une ligne = 0.225 cm and so the specimen desCIibed was only a third of a centimetre in length which clearly influenced Macquart in his choice of name, referring to it as " tiny ••.