Phlebotomus Flies 
95 
seven African and six American. One species only, Phlebotomus 
vexator, has been reported for the United States. This was described 
by Coquillett, (1907), from species taken on Plummer’s Island, Mary¬ 
land. It measures only 1.5 mm. in length. As it is very probable 
that this species is much more widely distributed, and that other 
species of these minute flies will be found to occur in our fauna, we 
quote Coquillett’s description. 
Phlebotomus vexator, Coq.: Yellow, the mesonotum brown, 
hairs chiefly brown; legs in certain lights appear brown, but are 
covered with a white tomentum; wings hyaline, unmarked; the first 
vein (Ri) terminates opposite one-fifth of the length- of the first 
submarginal cell (cell R 2 ); this cell is slightly over twice as long 
as its petiole; terminal, horny portion of male claspers slender, 
bearing many long hairs; the apex terminated by two curved spines 
which are more than one-half as long as the preceding part, and just 
in front of these are two similar spines, while near the middle of the 
length of this portion is a fifth spine similar to the others. Length 
1.5 mm. 
The life-history of the Phlebotomus flies has been best worked out 
for the European Phlebotomus papatasii and we shall briefly sum¬ 
marize the account of Doerr and Russ (1913) based primarily on work 
on this species. The European Phlebotomus flies appear at the 
beginning of the warm season, a few weeks after the cessation of the 
heavy rains and storms of springtime. They gradually become more 
abundant until they reach their first maximum, which in Italy is near 
the end of July (Grassi). They then become scarcer but reach a 
•second maximum in September. At the beginning of winter they 
vanish completely, hibernating individuals not being found. 
After fertilization there is a period of eight to ten days before ovi- 
position. The eggs are then deposited, the majority in a single mass 
covered by a slimy secretion from the sebaceous glands. The larvae 
emerge in fourteen to twenty days. There is uncertainty as to the 
length of larval life, specimens kept in captivity remaining fifty or 
more days without transforming. Growth may be much more rapid 
in nature. The larvae do not live in fluid media but in moist detritus 
in dark places. Marett believes that they live chiefly on the excre¬ 
ment of pill-bugs (Oniscidae) and lizards. Pupation always occurs 
during the night. The remnants of the larval skin remain attached 
to the last two segments of the quiescent pupa and serve to attach 
it to the stone on which it lives. The pupal stage lasts eleven to 
sixteen days, the adult escaping at night. 
