173 



house-fly, which is due to the comparative scarcity of horse-manure 

 and the rapid drying of the manure aided by the activity of the common 

 English sparrow in scattermg the droppings. 



Ferguson (E. W.) & Henry (M.). Tabanidae from Camden Haven 

 District, New South Wales, with Descriptions of New Species. — 



Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Syclmy, xhv, pt. 4, 26th November 



1919, pp. 828-849, 1 plate. [Received 11th August 1920.] 



During a three years' study of the means of transmission of Onchocerca 

 gibsoni in cattle, special attention was paid to Tabanidae as possible 

 vectors of the larvae either as mechanical transmitters or as inter- 

 mediate hosts. 



Descriptions of the new species found are given with a record of all 

 the species obtained and such notes on the times of occurrence, 

 seasonal distribution, etc., as are available. 



The new species described are : — Pangoniinae : Erephopsis niveo- 

 vittata, E. aureovestita, Diatomineura fulgida, Silvius pnraluridus ; 

 Tabaninae : Tabanus vespiformis, T. trilinealis, T. pygmaeus, 

 T. keivensis, T. ochreoflainis, T. {Therioplectes) innotatus. 



Yearly Report from 1st January 1919 to 31st December 1919. — 



Australian Inst. Trop. Med., Townsville, Queensland, 30th April 



1920, pp. 3-8. 



Investigations on the transmission of filariasis were continued during 

 the year. In a previous work it has been conclusively proved that 

 Filaria immitis taken up with the blood by the dog flea [Ctenocephalus 

 catiis] undergoes complete development in the flea, the mature larvae 

 being ready to infect the new host. At the onset of the cool weather 

 the work had to be abandoned. Similar studies were undertaken 

 using the mosquito, Stegomyia fasciata, as intermediary host. The 

 developing parasites in the mosquito were found to agree morpholo- 

 gically with those found in the dog flea. 



Experiments with artiflcial infection of dogs indicate that the 

 filarial larvae may penetrate through the unbroken skin, and thus 

 cause infection. Future work is expected to yield additional evidence 

 of this possibility. 



Hill (G. F.). Report of the Entomologist from 25th February to 31st 

 December, 1919. — Australian Inst. Trop. Med. Rept. 1919, 

 Townsville, Queensland, 30th April 1920, pp. 10-11. 



Simuliids and Chironomids were not very abundant during the year 

 under review. Tabanids were rarely seen in March and were not 

 again met with until December. As egg-clusters were .extremely 

 rare, attention was directed to the larvae, and those of three species 

 were secured, two of which were reared to the adult stage. The hitherto 

 unknown male of a common North Australian species and the un- 

 known female of a unique form from TownsviUe have thus been added to 

 the collection. The females of most Austrahan Tabanids are voracious 

 bloodsuckers, but there is no evidence that they are disease 

 transmitters to man or stock. 



