Drake-Brockman (E. E.). Some Notes on Sfegonnjia fasciata in the 

 Coast Towns of British Somaliland. — Jl. London School Trop. Med., 

 a, pt. 3, Nov. 1913, pp. 166-169. 



The author describes the egg, larvae, pupae and imago of Stegomyia 

 fasciata. The eggs are always laid singly and never adherent together 

 in rafts, usually along the water-line, and always within an inch of it. 

 Evaporation of the water and the drying of the eggs does not interfere 

 with the Hfe of the majority of them, except perhaps in the hot summer 

 when the maximum shade temperature rises as high as 109'^ F. He 

 thinks it probable that in Somaliland all eggs deposited in tins, broken 

 bottles and the like, after rains and just previous to the hot summer, 

 are destroyed by the rapid evaporation of the w^ater and the heating 

 of the receptacles, the species being continued by the individuals which 

 aestivate. The larvae emerge two to three days after oviposition and 

 pupate in four or five days, but if food is scarce the larval stage may 

 last for three weeks or more. They will survive in the smallest quantity 

 of water, a thimbleful being sufficient for half a dozen of them. When 

 water is plentiful the author says it is surprising how many larvae 

 will exist together and thrive without devouring each other, a not 

 uncommon occurrence when the food supply is getting scarce. 

 Stegomyia larvae will coexist in the same water with those of Cidex 

 sitiens, Wied. {salus, Theo.), and probably other larvae. They prefer 

 rain water, although brackish well water is also acceptable. The 

 pupal stage lasts about twenty-four hours, and there is no doubt, in 

 the author's opinion, that large numbers of pupae die in nature, just 

 as they do when artificially bred, for in the last fortnight of June the 

 heat on the Somali coast was so great that he was unable to continue 

 breeding experiments after that date under natural conditions. 



The insects do not feed until about twelve hours after emergence. 

 It is in this stage that some of their non-aquatic enemies attack them, 

 and the commonest of these is the little red ant (Pheidole) so ubiquitous 

 in the Tropics. It is probable that these ants, together with spiders, 

 destroy large numbers of the aestivating mosquitos as well. The 

 author gives tables of experiments on the length of life of Stegomyia 

 fasciata when unfed and when fed on dates and on human blood. 

 The results are not summarised, and the life period is exceedingly 

 variable. Unfed mosquitos did not live longer than four days. Those 

 fed on blood lived from five to thirty days, and those fed on dates for 

 about the same period, but the range of life was very great. 



Wenyon (C. M.). The Length of Life of Phlebotomus in Captivity ; 

 a Note on a Method of keeping the Flies alive for Experimental 

 Work. — Jl. London School Trop. Med. ii, pt. 3, November 1913, 

 pp. 170-171. 



The difficulty which has been experienced in keeping these flies 

 alive in captivity has often led to the assumption that the length of 

 their life in nature is very short, but the author has succeeded in 

 keeping them for several weeks by placing them in porous earthenware 

 pots covered with muslin and standing in water, the insects being thus 

 able to enjoy a cool and moist atmosphere with plenty of fresh air. 



