SPECIES OF THE GENUS MUSCA, LINNAEUS. 425 



4. Musca terrae-reginae, Johnson & Bancroft. 



I have seen only six specimens, five females and one male, of this species, sent 

 me by Mr. Hill and Prof. Johnson, as well as the paratypes deposited in the 

 National Collection by the latter. I am not able with this very meagre material to 

 come to a definite conclusion regarding the true identity of this species. It will be 

 impossible to discover what Musca prisca, Walker, really is, as the type (a female 

 from New Zealand) is unfortunately a greasy specimen, and was evidently in this 

 condition when Walker described it ; it shoulcl never have been described. One 

 thing is certain, it is a species with four black thoracic stripes and may quite well be 

 Musca terrae-reginae. I hope to re-examine it more critically, and to compare 

 it with M. terrae-reginae, but if this examination does not lead to any definite 

 conclusion, I propose to drop this name altogether. More specimens of M. terrae- 

 reginae are, however, required in order to compare it with some of the Indian species 

 with which it is allied. 



5. Musca ventrosa, Wiedemann. 



Synonyms : Musca xanthomela, Walker. 

 Musca pungoana, Karsch. 

 Musca nigritliorax, Stein. 

 Musca kasauliensis, Awati. 

 Musca liilli, Johnson & Bancroft. 



In my notes on the Oriental species I pointed out that I had examined the para- 

 types of Musca hilli, Johnson & Bancroft, deposited in the National Collection by 

 Prof. Johnson, and considered it to be identical with Musca ventrosa, Wiedemann. 

 Mr. Hill recently sent me a long series of M. hilli, and among them a couple which 

 have been determined by Prof. Johnson, and though most of these specimens show- 

 varying amounts of dark stripes on the apparent third and fourth abdominal segments, 

 they appear to be identical with Indian specimens of M. ventrosa. The final deter- 

 mination will depend on a comparative study of the external genitalia of both sexes, 

 which I now have in hand. It may be that Musca hilli is a good species. 



6. Musca convexifrons, Thomson. 



Synonyms : Musca australis, Macquart {nee Boisduval). 

 Musca fergusoni, Johnson & Bancroft. 

 Musca lusoria, Bezzi [nee Wiedemann). 



In my notes on the Oriental species I have pointed out that Musca fergusoni, 

 Johnson & Bancroft, is the species known as Musca convexifrons, Thomson. It 

 wiU be remembered that Thomson described as his type a male from China, and that 

 for a long time it was believed to be identical with a common Oriental species, which 

 is recorded above under the name of Musca alhomaculata, Macquart. But I was 

 convinced that the Oriental species was distinct from Thomson's M. convexifrons, 

 and was for a long time puzzled as to the identity of Thomson's species. I now, 

 however, have no doubt whatever that it is the common Australian haematophagous 

 Musca recently re-described by Johnson and Bancroft under the name Musca 

 fergiisoni. Mr. Hill recently sent me a long series, some of which were collected on 

 Palm and Magnetic Islands, and I have been able to compare it with Musca lusoria, 

 Wiedemann, and Musca bezzii, Patton & Cragg. In Musca convexifrons there are 

 normally two bristles on the basal portion of the radial vein, sometimes three ; in 

 M. lusoria there are normally four bristles, sometimes more and sometimes less ; 

 and in M. bezzii there are normally five. M. convexifrons differs in many other respects 

 from both these species. 



