INSTITUTE, PUS A, FOR 1916-17 99 



maximum larval period seems to be 9 to 10 months. As the 

 rate of development amongst these larvae is very irregular 

 we very often come across flies of this species at most times 

 of the year except the winter. 



The eggs of T. nemocallosus were found attacked by a 

 Chalcidid parasite which is conspicuously smaller than the 

 parasites of the larger species of Tdbanus. An apparently • 

 similar parasite was bred out from the eggs of a species of 

 Acalyptrate fly which were collected in the vicinity of 

 Tabanid eggs. 



Culicoides sp. 



Several flies of a species of Culicoides were bred out 

 from the green vegetable substances (algae) taken from near 

 the edges of a well reservoir. The larvae as also adults 

 differ from Culicoides kiefferi. The larvae of the Pusa 

 Culicoides are in habit of remaining half buried inside the 

 green vegetable substance. Many larvae were seen congre- 

 gated in this way at one spot for a considerable time. Occa- 

 sionally they come up to the water surface and move here 

 and there with a characteristic vibratile motion. They 

 often rest on the edges of a vessel containing water by keep- 

 ing their heads or bodies exposed. Moulting and pupation 

 take place under water, the pupa remaining floating on the 

 water surface. Those which are not able to float apparently 

 do not succeed in hatching out. A full-grown larva mea- 

 sures a little more than 3 mm. in length and differs from the 

 larvae of Culicoides kiefferi in having a pair of very minute 

 hairs one on each side of the prothoracic segments. The 

 same sort of hairs were seen on meso- and meta-thoracic 

 segments of several larvae. The pupa measures about half 

 the length of the full-grown larva. The last segment of the 

 pupa terminates in two tooth-like spines which are longer 

 than those on the rest of the pupal body. The breathing 

 trumpets are dark in colour, especially at the apical portion. 

 Their stalks are lighter and thin and are supplied with 

 three very small dark protuberances. The pupa takes 

 about 60 hours to hatch out. The freshly emerged flies have 



