29 



SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE LARVA OF AUCHMEROMYIA 



LUTEOLA, F. 



By Dr. Robert E. McConnell, 



Medical Officer, Uganda Protectorate. 



The following are a few observations made on the larvae of Auchmeromyia 

 Ivteola taken in Uganda. The larvae were kept in glass-topped cardboard boxes 

 containing earth. Several attempts were made to feed them on the less hairy 

 parts of puppies but in no case did they make any attempt to draw blood. I 

 then placed some on my own hand. In only one instance was this successful, the 

 details of the feeding being described below. 



Meat, crushed ticks, bananas were placed in the boxes at various times, but so 

 far as could be gathered, they were left untouched. By dampening the earth 

 with water every few days larvae were kept alive up to a month. They would 

 probably have lived longer were it not that the exigencies of constant travelling 

 caused their neglect. The small immature larvae however did not seem to grow, 

 those which pupated having been mature, or almost so, at the time of capture. 

 The longest period between capture and pupation was 12 days, and this larva 

 was full of blood when taken and two days later its alimentary tract was still red 

 with blood. 



The following records indicate the duration of the pupal stage : — 



Larva taken. Pupated. Flies emerged. 



September 12th September 15th October 6th 



„ 12 th „ 15th „ 9th 



„ 12th „ 16th „ 6th 



„ 12 th „ 17 th „ 7 th 



„ 12th „ 17th „ 9th 



16th „ 28th „ 16th 



The average period between pupation and the emergence of the imago was 

 therefore 21 days, the extremes noted being 18 and 24 days respectively. 



I did not observe an actual escape from the pupa-case. A fly shortly after 

 emerging, while the head parts were still soft and mobile, was held between the 

 thumb and forefinger. It kept repeating a movement in which the base of the 

 head first swelled and then precipitated a peristaltic elongating action towards 

 the apex, on the completion of which a projecting or thrusting movement of the 

 anterior half took place, which doubtless was a repetition of the mechanism by 

 means of which the pupa-case had been broken. 



The following is a description of the feeding of a larva on the web between 

 my index and middle fingers. A slight though not constant pricking was felt 

 during the experiment. The biting and suctional process was accomplished by 

 four little shakes of the body lasting about one second and which could be 

 distinctly felt. This was followed by a period of rest lasting two seconds. 



At end of 3 minutes : — Larva almost perpendicular to the surface attacked, 

 but resting the body against the finger. 



