335 



white patches at the lateral borders of the segments. Length 5 '6 to 

 6'5 mm. 



Female. Yellowish to olive grey, and quite unlike the male. Thorax, 

 ground colour yellowish grey, sometimes appearing silvery grey, with the 

 usual four longitudinal stripes ; scutellum olive grey. Abdomen olive 

 green with a general chequered appearance : first segment brownish grey 

 in the centre, and olive grey at the sides, with a somewhat diffuse dark 

 brown central longitudinal stripe, and with rectangular shimmering white 

 bands at each side, and an indistinct lateral brown band ; third segment 

 with markings similar to those of the second, except that the central 

 black band does not reach the lower border ; fourth segment with an olive 

 grey central patch ; all the segments except the first have white borders. 



After due consideration, it has been decided for the present to leave 

 this species of Mtisca unnamed, as it is not possible to say whether it 

 has already been described or not. It is a common house fly in Madras, 

 and has also been seen in Bombay and Gujarat. It usually breeds in 

 the refuse around Indian slaughter houses, and in horse dung; in 

 Bombay large numbers of its larvae were found in a garden in rose pots 

 which had been filled with horse manure. 



This Musca can be distinguished from the other Indian species by 

 the narrow front in the male and by the characteristic lateral silver)' 

 band on the abdomen. It is very difficult to distinguish the female from 

 that of nebulo. 



Musca enteniata, Bigot. Hewitt gives the following translation of 

 Bigot's description of this species : ' Front very narrow, the eyes 

 ' however separated. Antennae and palpi black ; face and cheeks white ; 

 ' thorax black with three broad grey longitudinal bands ; sides grey ; scu- 

 ' tellum black with two similar grey bands ; halteres of a pale yellowish 

 ' colour; abdomen fawn coloured, with a dorsal black band, and sometimes 

 ' with light patches ; legs black ; wings hyaline ; fourth long vein turning 

 ' up at a slightly rounded angle, then becoming a little concave ; second 

 ' transverse vein (extreme) nearly perpendicular, and with two slight 

 ' sinuosities, joining the fourth vein at an equal distance from the bend 

 ' and the first transverse vein. Length 4 to 5 mm.' 



The above description is very inadequate and would apply equally 

 well to nebulo. After comparing some specimens from the Indian 

 Museum, provisionally named enteniata by Dr. Annandale, with many 

 specimens of nebulo it was found that no reliable distinguishing characters 

 could be detected between the two. " It is very probable that one or other 

 of these names will in time have to be dropped. 



