116 ENTOMOLOGY FOR MEDICAL OFFICERS 



tions and carry whorls of hairs. These peculiarities of the 

 antennae and wings are less manifest in Phlebotomus than in 

 other PsychodidcE. Except in the blood-sucking Phlebotomus 

 the proboscis is short and inconspicuous. 



PsychodidcB are found in all parts of the world ; they have 

 a preference for damp shady places, outhouses, privies, etc., 

 and they hop rather than fly when disturbed. The larvae 

 live in rotting vegetation, crumbling masonry, liquid filth, 

 etc., and some are aquatic. 



Several species of the family have been suspected of 

 sucking blood, but this habit is known to prevail only in the 

 species of the genus Phlebotomus, which are notorious as 

 blood-sucking pests in many parts of the world. One species, 

 Phlebotomus papatasii, has recently been proved to be the 



Fig. 22.— Wing ot Psj/c;io(?tc!. Fig. 23.— Male P/i!f!)o(£miti.>!. 



infective agent of a specific three-day fever which is prevalent 

 in certain parts of Southern Europe in the autumn, and other 

 species have been suspected, without any proof, however, of 

 nursing the protozoon parasite of Delhi boil. 



The PsychodidcB are grouped in two subfamilies, namely, 

 (i) Psychodince, in which the 2nd longitudinal vein makes 

 its first branch in the root of the wing (Fig. 22), the female 

 has a horny ovipositor, and the external genitalia of the male 

 consist of two pairs of clasping-pieces ; and (2) Phlebotomince, 

 in which the 2nd longitudinal vein branches well in the field 

 of the wing, the female has not a horny ovipositor, and the 

 genitalia of the male (Fig. 23) consist of three pairs of 

 clasping-pieces in addition to the penis. 



Subfamily Phlebotominm. 



The only genus that concerns us is Phlebotomus (Fig. 24), 

 the species of which are small, yellowish, greyish, or brownish 



