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117 Uh SEP 2 6,.,- < 



Lloyd (LI.). Report on the Investigation into the Bionol^cis of ^^ 



Glossina morsiians in Northern Rhodesia, 1915. — Bult: JSmQnr^ IVluS'^'^ -^ 

 Research, London, vii, uo. 1, May 1916, pp. 67-79. 2 figs., 1 plate, 

 3 tables. 



In the Kashitii area, Glossina morsitans appears to be numerous and 



troublesome although game is relatively scarce. Collections of pupae, 



however, have shown that the apparent abundance is due to the fact 



that on account of the restlessness of the animals, flies of both sexes 



swarm round persons passing through the area and feed readily. 



In the same area female flies were caught in relatively much greater 



numbers than at Nawalia and Ngoa. Game in the last-named area 



is plentiful and the number of pupae collected was four times as great 



as in the Kashitu area. Hence it may be deduced that pupae, and 



therefore flies, are more numerous in districts in which game is plentiful. 



Certain districts in the Ngoa area were investigated ; the conditions 



as regards the relation between the game, pupae and hunger of the fly 



were found to be similar to those observed in the Kashitu area. Man 



was frequently attacked where game was scarce or non-resident, while 



flies were rarely seen where game was plentiful. If the game were 



reduced to a minimum, so that the fly was attracted to man, the fly 



might be destroyed by means of nets in very limited areas. The 



reduction of game in a fly area would lead at first to an apparent 



increase in the numbers of the fly, owing to increased hunger ; the 



number of females in a capture would increase to about 50 per cent., 



"vvhile pupae would occur in fewer numbers, thus showing that an 



actual reduction had taken place. The increase in the number of 



females in a capture would be important if netting were used as a 



means of control. Collections of pupae from burnt areas showed that 



about 12 per cent, were dead at the time of collecting. This record 



was made a considerable time after the fires, hence it was not an accurate 



estimate of the proportion destroyed. All the breeding places 



examined showed the presence of a dark hiding place for the flies, and 



were of the type met with in other fly areas. Exceptions occurred 



near the Lukanga River, in the thin mopani forest and in the bed of 



the Bwobwa stream in Chutika. These three breeding places were 



.such as to show that it is improbable that pregnant females are 



influenced by any special odour, such as that of humus. A single 



pupa of G. brevipalpis was found in the sandy bed of the Bwobwa 



stream, together with G. morsitans, beneath a large fallen tree. 



Six species of insect parasites of the pupae of G. morsitans 

 were found. Mutilla glossinae, Turner, is generally distributed in 

 G. fnorsitans areas in north Rhodesia. The duration of the pupal 

 period was observed to be 45 days. Adults in captivity fed readily 

 on jam ; the females lived about three weeks and the males from 10 to 

 14 days. Attempts to breed them were unsuccessful. The percentage 

 of parasitism by M. glossinae at Chutika was on an average 7 per cent. ; 

 parasites emerged between 15th August and 6th October from pupae 

 collected during July. At Nawalia, the parasitism reached 1 3 per cent. , 

 a quarter of the parasites being males. Emergence from pupae collected 

 on 21st and 23rd August took place between 25th September and 26th 

 October. Attempts to breed Anastatus viridiceps, Wtrst., in captivity, 

 failed. Stomatoceras micans, Wtrst., occurs at Mwengwa and Ngoa. 

 (C286) Wt.Pl/100. 1,500. 8.10. B.&F.Ltd. Gp.lI/3. a 



