SPECIES OF THE GENUS MUSCA, LIXXAEUS. 419 



black stripe, which diverges posteriorly away from the central grey stripe ; the 

 abdomen in the female is quite unlike that of the male, and is yellowish grey with 

 black stripes and bands ; that of the male yellowish with silvery patches and a 

 central black stripe. The fi"ons of the female is wide, that of the male a little narrower 

 than the frons of the male nehulo. 



It would be interesting to know if this species has found its way to anv part of 

 the New \\'()rld. 



4. Musca sp. incerta (" Textbook of Medical fintomologv," l^atton and Cragg, 



P-334). 

 This distinct species was bred in 19 10 from larvae collected from tlie contents 

 of the stomach and intestines of sheep slaughtered at the slaughter-house, Saidapet, 

 Madras, and since then another good series has been obtained from the same source ; 

 it also breeds in horse-dung. It will be described as a new species in a forthcoming 

 paper on some new Indian species of the genus Musca. 



On a superficial examination it may be mistaken for Musca nclmlo, but it will 

 be noted that the ground-colour of the thorax is darker and is of a bluish colour. 

 It has four black thoracic stripes, and the male frons is much narrower than that of 

 the male nehulo, the eyes being separated only by a fine black line. The abdomen 

 in both sexes is much more orange-coloured, and in the male there are no marginal 

 silver}- patches on the apparent second segment ; in the male nehulo these silvery 

 patches are always well marked. 



5. Musca pumila, Macquart. 



Synon\-ms : Musca minor, Macquart. 



Musca vetustissima, Walker. • 



Musca humilis, Stein {nee Wiedemann). 



Musca corvina, Froggatt {nee Fabricius). 

 I first bred this species from larvae collected from human excrement in 1910 

 in Madras, and in 1920 obtained a large number from the same source. Mr. Senior- 

 WTiite has collected it in Ceylon. I have received a number of specimens from 

 Australia, sent me by Mr. Taylor, Mr. Froggatt, Mr. Hill and Dr. Ferguson, and 

 all are identical with the species in the National Collection determined by Major 

 Austen as Musca pumila. There is also a specimen in Bigot's collection from 

 Australia labelled Miisca pumila, Macquart. As it is superficially like M. humilis 

 it has been mistaken for that species. In both sexes the thoracic markings are exactly 

 similar to those of M. liumilis, but the ground-colour of the thorax is markedly blue, 

 whereas in humilis it is yellowish grey. The abdomen in the female is also bluish, 

 with black stripes and bands. So far I have not seen the typical Musca humilis 

 from Australia, and Musca pumila seems to take its place. 



6. Musca ventrosa, Wiedemann. 



Synonyms : Musca xanthomela. Walker. 



Musca pungoana, Karsch. 



Musca nigrithorax, Stein. 



Musca kasauliensis, Awati. 



Musca hilli, Johnson & Bancroft. 

 This small species, with its dark thorax with four stripes and orange-j^ellow 

 abdomen, is a true haematophagous Miisca, and is mainly seen on animals, and on 

 foliage near them. Wiedemann's types of ventrosa came from Sumatra and China. 

 I have examined the type, a female, of Walker's Mvisea xanthomela from Macassar, 

 Celebes, and find it is a typical specimen of ventrosa ; Stein's nigrithorax from 

 Samarang and Batavia, and Karsch's Musca pungoana from Pungo Ndongo, 

 Portuguese West Africa, are also this species. 



