CHAPTER VI. 

 Family MUSCID^. 



PLATE XIII., FIGS. 96, 97, AND 101-103. 



Although this family includes some of the most important of 

 all blood-sucking flies, the habit of sucking blood is highly exceptional 

 among its members, and is confined to a very few genera, each of 

 which consists of but a small number of species. The latter all 

 present a general resemblance to the common house-fly, and, with 

 the exception of certain species of Olossina (Tsetse-flies), are all of 

 small size ; it is important to note that, contrary to the usual rule, 

 the blood-sucking habit is common to both sexes. In addition 

 to Stomoxys and Lyperosia, species of which are figured on Plate 

 XIII., and Glossina, the only genera of blood-sucking Muscidse 

 at present known to occur in the Ethiopian Region are Stygeromyia 

 and Philcematomyia.* Of these the former, which is in some 

 respects intermediate between Stomoxys and Lyperosia, resembles 

 Stomoxys in general appearance and the form of the body, but is 

 distinguished, inter alia, by the relative stoutness of the short, 

 chitinous, horizontal proboscis, and by the palpi being equal to the 

 proboscis in length, large, expanded towards the tips, and curved 

 upwards ; in the wing, the opening of the first posterior cell at the 

 tip is exceedingly narrow (less than half the width of the opening of 

 the same cell in the wing of Stomoxys calcitrans, Linn.), and the 

 bent-up portion of the fourth longitudinal vein is almost or 

 perfectly straight. Founded for Stygeromyia maculosa, Austen, 

 the type of which was taken at Little Aden, Arabia (Lieut. -Colonel 



* The genua Beccarimyia, founded by Rondani for B. glossina, Rond. (Eritrsea), 

 is now regarded as allied to the genus Stomatorrhina (Idia), and B. glossina is 

 believed not to be a blood-sucking species at all (cf. Bezzi, Rendiconti del R. 1st. 

 Lomb. di sc. e left., Serie II., Vol. XL., 1907, p. 435). Olossinella, Griinberg, for 

 G. schillingsi, Griinb. (Zoologiacher Anzeiger, XXX. Bd., 1906, p. 86. German 

 E. Africa), is a synonym of Lyperosia. 



