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RouBAUD (E.). Etudes sur la Faune Parasitaire de I'Afrique Occiden- 

 tale Francaise. — Premier Fascicule : Les Producteurs de Myiases et 

 Agents similaires chez rhomme et les aniraaux. [Studies of the 

 parasitic fauna of French West Africa. Part I. The producers 

 of myiasis and similar disorders in man and animals.] Paris : 

 Masson & Co., 1914, 251 pp., 4 col. pis., 70 figs. 



This is an account of the investigations by MM. Roubaud and 

 Bouet into the insect-borne diseases of French West Africa. The 

 first chapter deals with the troubles caused by various Muscid larvae, 

 Sarcophaga, Wohlfartia, Lucilia, Pycnosoma, etc. The last-named 

 genus, more especially P. piitoriiim, is beheved to be largely concerned 

 in the spread of amoebic dysentery. In dealing with the specific 

 myiases of Bovidae and Equidae, Rovere's account of the larva of 

 Pycnosoma (Chrysomyia) megacephala is given at length. At the 

 vaccine station at Bouake, the larvae of what is beheved to have 

 been this species have caused serious losses among the heifers. 

 Dr. Villeneuve is of opinion that both Rovere's specimens and the 

 authors' belong to a new species which he has named Pycnosoma 

 (Chrysoniyia) hezziana and further that P. megacephala, recorded by 

 Wiedemann from Guinea, is synonymous with P. dux, Esch., and 

 came from China. The insect is described and figured. 



Lucilia argyrocephala, Macq., is described as producing myiasis 

 in Africa, and attacks existing sores and ulcers in man, dogs, camels 

 and other animals. The author never found L. sericata developing 

 on wounds in West Africa, but it is probable that both species breed 

 in dead carcases. The various species of Auclimeromyia are dealt with 

 in great detail, and they are said to be parasitic only on nearly hairless 

 mammals, such as man, Phacochaerus and Orycteropus, their structure 

 being such that adhesion to the skin of an animal covered with hair is 

 impossible. A. luteola is exclusively a parasite of man, while the species 

 of Choeromyia attack only the other animals named. 



The life-history of Cordylobia anthropophaga is given at length and 

 the process of oviposition is described ; 150 eggs were laid on the 

 walls of a glass vessel, and on some rotten fruit lying on moist earth 

 at the bottom, the fly dying the following day. Experiments with 

 the eggs were made: 71 of them were deposited on the skin of two 

 dogs, a guinea-pig and a monkey and in no case were any of the animals 

 attacked ; a guinea-pig was made to swallow 12 of the eggs without 

 any result ; 15 larvae, just hatched, were placed on the surface of 

 sand in a large glass vessel mth a guinea-pig, which was removed 20 

 hours later and placed in a cage ; three days later, the characteristic 

 tumours were found on the ventral surface of the body, the muzzle 

 and the anus. These experiments are regarded as clearly proving 

 the mode of infection, viz. by larvae which have hatched apart 

 from the host. Further attempts to induce infection by introducing 

 the larvae under the eyehds, into the nostrils, mouth, anus, etc. 

 of a dog, failed. The infection of man by the " ver du Cay or ", 

 as this species is called in West Africa, is regarded as more or less 

 accidental, and no positive example of infection of horses, sheep, 

 oxen or pigs is known and it is rare in goats ; poultry, which would 

 appear to be peculiarly exposed, are never attacked. The results of 

 a number of experiments are given, which tend to show that the 



