168 



Houston (Capt. J. W.)- Sandfly Fever in Peshawar.— 5n^. Med.Jl, 

 London, Slst July 1915. pp. 170-172. 



Phlebotomus papatasii and P. minutus are present at Peshawar, 

 the former being by far the more numerous and widely distributed. 

 Sandfly fever makes its appearance with considerable suddenness about 

 the middle of April annually, a time which coincides with the appear- 

 ance of numbers of Phlebotomus. 



Marett (Capt. P. J.). The Bionomics of the Maltese Phlebotomi.— 

 Brit. Med. Jl, London, 31st July 1915, pp. 172-173. 



The species of Phlebotomus select for their breeding places spots 

 which are dark, damp, and usually inaccessible, with a reciuisite 

 temperature and a suitable food supply. That darkness is the natural 

 condition may be deduced from an examination of the larvae, which 

 are devoid of eyes, their place being taken in the adult larvae by two 

 patches of pigment. A certain amount of moisture is necessary for 

 two reasons, one, because if placed in dry surroundings, the larva will 

 shrivel up, and the other, because the food of the larva being excretal 

 matter, it cannot be eaten when in a dry condition. Excess of naoisture 

 is equally harmful, as has been experienced in breeding experiments, 

 where excessive spraying of a breeding dish resulted in the loss of all 

 the larvae. Quiet is essential, as the larval stage is somewhat lengthy, 

 and inclement weather during this period has a fatal result. The 

 proper food supply of the larva has been found to be the excreta of 

 the various insects and animals found in walls. Special attention has 

 been paid to the excrement of woodlice, hzards and bats, and un- 

 doubtedly in experimental breeding that of woodlice gives the best 

 results. The requisite temperature for active breeding is above 

 70° F. ; below 60° F. larvae appear to become dormant in the detritus, 

 whilst the higher the temperature is above 70° F. and up to 86° F. 

 the more rapid is the life-cycle. All these conditions are to be found 

 in the interior of rubble walls, in crevices of caves, artificial embank- 

 ments, and, in Malta, especially in the interior of the old bastions, 

 many of which contain disused chambers. In searching these places, 

 the number of larvae and pupae found was not in proportion to that 

 of the adults, but this was due to the fact that the larvae bury them- 

 selves, while of the pupae, only those adhering to stones were found. 

 In experimental breeding only about 5 per cent, of pupae so attach 

 themselves, the remaining 95 per cent, lying free on or under the 

 detritus. According to Newstead, P. papatasii, Scop., P. perniciosus, 

 Newst., and P. rninutus, Rond., are present in Malta. P. papatasii 

 breeds in caves and in embankments, whilst P. 2)e.rniciosus and 

 P. minutu'i breed chiefly in the rubble walls and in bastions, the result 

 being that the two latter species are seen more often in dwellings, 

 unless caves and embankments are in close proximity. The flies 

 appear about the middle of May, in small numbers, and by the end of 

 June they are numerous ; during July, when the breeding grounds 

 are somewhat dry, their numbers decrease, and only on the onset of 

 the damp sirocco, about the middle of August or beginning of September, 

 do they increase once more, appearing then in far greater numbers than 

 earUer in the year, and persisting till the onset of the rains and wind, 



