422 MAJOR W. S. PATTON. 



12. Musca (Pristirhynchomyia ; Philaematomyia) lineata, Brunetti. 



This small haematophagous species is widely distributed in India, and is always 

 found on and near cattle in the fields. It is not a true blood-sucker in the sense that 

 it can draw blood, but it has moderate^ well-developed prestomal teeth, and can 

 ceitainly scratch a clot off the skin and suck up any fluid under it. It thus shows 

 an early change towards the true scratching proboscis, so well seen in the case of 

 Musca crassirostris, Stein, which is able to draw blood with the aid of its prestomal 

 teeth. 



It will be remembered that in the typical lineata, the rather narrow thoracic 

 stripes are distinctly separated, whereas in what appears to be a variety which I 

 bred in Coonoor from cow-dung, and which Mr. Senior-WTiite has also bred from the 

 same source in Ceylon, the thoracic stripes are distinctly broader, and in the male 

 almost, if not entirely, coalescent behind the suture ; in addition, the front of the 

 males of this variety is much narrower than in the typical lineata. I am not able to 

 express a definite and final opinion as to the identiU' of this variety, but as I have 

 the larvae of both the species, as well as a large number of adults, I hope to do so 

 sliortly. I may, however, point out that the male is quite easily mistaken for a small 

 specimen of Musca kumilis, but it is certainly not that species. 



13. Musca cingalaisina, Bigot. 



Synonyms : Musca pollinosa, Stein. 



Musca {Philaematomyia) indica, Awati. 



I have examined the type of Bigot's cingalaisina, a female without a head, from 

 Ceylon, and have no hesitation in saying it is a typical specimen of Musca indica, 

 Awati. I have examined hundreds of specimens of this most interesting species 

 from many parts of South India and from Ceylon collected by Mr. Senior-White. 

 It is extremely common in Ceylon, and though neither Mr. Senior- White nor I have 

 ever caught it on cattle in the act of sucking blood, it-is unquestionably a blood-sucker, 

 and can draw blood with the aid of its prestomal teeth. Mr. Senior- White is now 

 engaged in studying its feeding habits, which appear to be very peculiar. In localities 

 where it occurs it can be caught in large numbers sitting about on leaves, etc., and 

 on fresh cow-dung, on which it deposits its third-stage larva. It is very curious that 

 although it can be seen on cow-dung close to a cow, it has never been seen either by 

 Mr. Senior- White or myself actually on the animal. Awati also states he has not 

 seen it sucking blood. 



I have no doubt whatever that Stein's pollinosa is this species, and it appears to 

 l)e common in Batavia, Samarang and Tandjong Priok, in the Dutch East Indies. 

 P>rauer came to the conclusion that the type of cingalaisina was a specimen of Musca 

 doincstica, a remarkable determination. 



14 Musca (Ptilolepis) inferior, Stein. 



Synonym : Philaematomyia gurneyi, Patton & Cragg. 



In a recent paper Bezzi has made this species the type of a new genus, Ptilolepis, 

 mainly basing it on the presence of dark hairs on the inner portions of the squamae. 

 He also gives some additional characters, the majority of which, however, are in my 

 opinion not generic characters, but are common to many of the other species of Mtisca. 

 He mentions " Eyes bare, rather distant in the male. Parafrontal hairs of the 

 female arranged in more than one row," and other characters based on chaetotaxy. 

 The presence, absence and arrangement of bristles and hairs are not reliable characters 

 on which to base genera. Further, I would point out that the characters of the 

 proboscis, such as, " thickened basally with chitinous terminal teeth," are common 



