143 



are undoubtedly by far the most widely distributed species of 

 Stomoxys in Africa. Although it cannot yet be proved by actual 

 specimens that S. calcitrans is of universal occurrence on the African 

 continent, it would seem highly probable that this is so, since the, 

 species is certainly found from Algeria and Egypt to Cape Colony, 

 and from Gambia to the East Africa Protectorate. Outside Africa 

 and Europe, where it occurs everywhere from Lapland southwards, 

 Stomoxys calcitrans exists throughout the greater part of the world. 

 The Museum Collection contains specimens from the Azores, Canary 

 Is., Porto Santo Is., Madeira, the Seychelles Is., Palestine, India, 

 Ceylon, Siam, North China (Wei-Hai-Wei), Queensland, the 

 Sandwich Is., British Columbia, Canada, Mexico, Central America, 

 the West Indies, Brazil (Lower Amazons), and Uruguay ; while 

 the species has been recorded from Hong Kong, Batavia, New 

 South Wales, and New Zealand, and is said to be " Very common 

 throughout the inhabited parts of North America."* 



As a rule, African examples of Stomoxys calcitrans are smaller 

 than British specimens, while, as is not surprising in the case of so 

 widely distributed a species, the abdominal spots show considerable 

 individual variation in size and shape. The localities, etc., of the 

 African specimens in the Museum are as follows. Gambia : 

 McCarthy Island, March 27th, 1903, " feeding on horse," and 

 Salikenny, April 23rd, 1903, " in stable " (the late Dr. J. E. Button, 

 and Dr. J. L. Todd) ; precise locality unknown, 1906 (Dr. E. 

 Hopkinson, D.S.O.). Gold Coast : Accra, February 15th, 1907, 

 " on window " (Dr. W. M. Graham, W.A.M.S.). Ashanti : 

 Kumasi, January 25th, 1905, " on horse " (Lieut. -Colonel G. M. Giles, 

 late I. M.S.) ; Obuasi, April 16th, May 31st, and September 30th, 

 " caught on cattle and in tent," and Prahsu, December 16th, 1907, 

 "intent" (Dr. W. M. Graham, W.A.M.S.}. Northern Nigeria : Keffi, 

 Nassarawa Province, June 19th-22nd, and October 1st, 1907 (Dr. R. 

 F. Williams, W.A.M.S.). Congo Free State : Leopoldville, December 

 30th, 1903 (Drs. Dutton, Todd, and Christy). Angola : Benguella, 

 February, " generally taken on dogs and other domestic animals ; 



* J. M. Aldrich, " A Catalogue of North American Diptera," p. 530 (Washington : 

 published by the Smithsonian Institution, 1905). 



