GENUS PANGONIA 293 



GENUS PANGONIA, RONDANI 



The flies of this genus are distinguished by the remarkable long 

 forwardly-directed proboscis. The great majority of the species, 'per- 

 haps all, are flower feeders. The genus has been divided into five sub- 

 genera, according as to whether the first posterior cell is open or closed, 

 the eyes bare or hairy. 



PANGONIA (sensu restr.) Most of the species included in this sub- 

 genus are large insects with hairy bodies. The antennae are simple, 

 the first joint short, the third long, with seven annulations. The pro- 

 boscis is long and slender, and may be as long as the body of the fly ; 

 that of P. rostrata, for instance, is one and a half inches long. There is 

 evidence that some of these flies, notwithstanding the great length of 

 the proboscis, feed on mammalian blood ; they do so, not by settling on 

 the skin in the ordinary manner and inserting their biting parts deliber- 

 ately, but while hovering near by, making sudden darts ; to obtain a full 

 meal it must be necessary for them to repeat the manosuvre many times. 

 Such a habit is apparently exceptional in the genus, as in the majority 

 of cases the mandibles and maxillae are shorter than the labium, and 

 cannot, therefore, be employed in making a wound. The species are 

 mainly found in the Ethiopian region. 



EREPHROSIS, Rondani. In this subgenus the first posterior cell is 

 closed and the eyes are hairy. The species are found in South America 

 and parts of Australia. Lutz and Neiva have recently described a beauti- 

 ful golden species from Brazil. It is not known whether they are blood- 

 suckers or not. 



SUB-PANGONIA, Sourcouf. This subgenus closely resembles Pan- 

 gonia, except as regards the proboscis. This is short or moderately 

 long, and is thick and fleshy ; it is bent downwards at an obtuse angle. 

 The labella are as long as the proboscis, and are conspicuously thickened. 

 On the superior margin of the inner surface of each labellum there are ten 

 rod-like structures, thick at the base and pointed apically, which Sourcouf 

 thinks are almost completely closed tubes which assist in suction. Austen 

 states that Dorcaloemus silverlocki, Aust., and Pangonia comata, Aust., 

 have homologous structures on their labella. Only two species of Sub- 

 pangonia are known, S. gravoti, Sourcouf, and S. grahami, Aust., the 

 former from the French Congo and the latter from Southern Nigeria. 

 They may be mistaken for humble bees, as they have the habit of 

 hovering in the air, and their flight is accompanied by a bee-like 

 buzz. 



