44 BIONOMICS OF GLOSSINA TACHINOIDES. 



Bionomics. 



Writing in the Sleeping Sickness Bureau Bulletin No. 6 

 (May 7th, 1909), p. 210, Dr. A. G. Bagshawe remarks that 

 Glossina tachinoides " at least in Nigeria and on the Lake Chad 

 waterways, is confined to river banks as is palpalis and occurs in 

 large numbers, biting man. It is therefore allied in its habits 

 to pcdpalisJ' That the species with which we are dealing is 

 found only in close proximity to water certainly seems to be 

 generally true with regard to the region referred to, though in 

 Southern Arabia Captain R. M. Carter did not always meet 

 with it near the edge of water, and no information is at present 

 available as to the haunts of G. tachinoides in German East 

 Africa. Since G. tachinoides belongs to the G. palpalis group of 

 the genus Glossina, it is natural that its habits should be similar 

 to those of the recognised carrier of sleeping sickness. Recently 

 in South Bornu, Northern Nigeria, Dr. Alexander found 

 G. tachinoides in a large marsh consisting of long elephant grass 

 mixed with occasional clumps of palm trees and thick under- 

 growth, though he failed to discover the fly on the banks of a 

 river some three quarters of a mile away.* Dr. Dalziel, writing 

 from Yola Province, Northern Nigeria, states that " Glossina 

 tachinoides seems to be found only close to the river bank, in 

 sight of water almost, though it may follow along the jmth. 

 The longest distance to which it was found to follow away from 

 water was 1,200 yards (one fly). Glossina morsitans on the 

 other hand, has not been seen directly at the river bank, being 

 always out of sight of water, in bush with thick grass and shrubs, 

 trees, and climbers. Both species are found together on paths 

 through the bush near water." f In the Western and Northern 

 Provinces of Ashanti, on the Tain and Black Volta Rivers, Dr. 

 A. Kinghorn finds that in habitat and habits G. tachinoides 

 closely resembles G. palpalis, in company with which it always 

 occurs. According to Kinghorn, the present species. " will feed 

 on man with avidity," and is " quite active in dull weather and 

 in the very early hours of the morning, both times when Glossina 

 palpalis is usually quiescent." J According to Dr. Alexander, 

 on a river near Amar, in South Bornu, " Glossina tachinoides bites 



* Cf. Sleeping Sickness Bureau Bulletin, Vol. Ill, No. 24, p. 93 

 (February 15, 1911). 



t Sleeping Sickness Bureau Bulletin, loc. cit. 



X Cf. Sleeping Sickness Bureau Bulletin, Vol. Ill, No. 25, p. 136 

 .{March 14, 1911). 



