CONGO FLOOR MAGGOT 



511 



Blood-Sucking Maggots 



A number of species of flies allied to the blowflies are known to 

 deposit their offspring in the nests of birds, where the maggots 

 attach themselves to the nestlings and suck blood. The only 

 species of fly in which the larva sucks blood by puncturing the 

 skin of man, however, is the Congo floor maggot, Aucheromyia 

 luteola (Fig. 244), found throughout tropical Africa south of the 

 Sahara Desert. Its range closely coincides with that of the 



Fig. 244. Congo floor maggot and adult female fly, Aucheromyia luteola. 

 A, xS; B, X -i. (After Manson.) 



Negro and Bantu races of men; it does not occur in countries 

 inhabited by Arabs and Berbers. 



The adult fly (Fig. 244 A) resembles the blow^fly, to which it is 

 nearly related. The color, however, is different, being a dirty 

 yellowish brown with the tip of the abdomen rusty black. This 

 fly can usually be observed in shady places about human habi- 

 tations, preferring the vicinity of latrines; it feeds principally 

 on rotting fruits and on excrement. The female lays her eggs 

 during the daytime in dust or debris in shady places, especially 



