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MISC. PUBLICATION 631, IT. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



The second abdominal segment is exceptionally long (fig. 36), being 

 twice as long as the third segment in the female and one and one-half 

 times as long in the male. 



As used here the genus contains but one species. Some authors, 

 such as Patton and Roubaud, have used it in a broader sense. 



AUCHMEROMYIA LUTEOLA (Fabricius) 



The Congo Floor Maggot 

 (Fig. 36) 



Recognition Characters. — This fly is similar in appearance to CordyloMa 

 anthropophaga, but the long second abdominal segment will readily distinguish 

 it, particularly the female. The mesonotum bears two longitudinal black bands, 

 interrupted at the suture; the abdomen is largely blackened on its apical half, 

 though the extent of the color is variable and may he greatly reduced in the male. 



Figure 36. — Auchmeromyia luteola, outline of abdomen of male, showing the 

 exceptionally long second segment. 



Length, 9-13 mm. Larva: The mature larva (fig. 37) is a robust, grublike mag- 

 got which is devoid of any noticeable spines. The newly hatched larva is whitish 

 translucent ; when engorged with blood it becomes a bright red. The body is 

 much wrinkled and folded longitudinally and transversely. The last segment 

 slopes abruptly at an angle of about 45° from the rest of the body ; its dorsal 

 surface (fig. 37, B) is flat and bears, near the base, a pair of widely separated 

 spiracles, with short, straight, horizontal slits. 



Geographical Distribution. — Ethiopian Region: French West Africa, Sene- 

 gal, French Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Middle Congo, Belgian Congo, Eritrea, 

 Angola, Uganda, Tanganyika, Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, Natal, Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



Biology and Pathogenesis. — The adult is a shade-loving fly fre- 

 quently found in and near human habitations. It feeds on fallen 

 fruits, excrement, fermented vegetable matter, and so forth. Eggs 

 are deposited on dry dusty soil or sand in shaded places. In localities 

 where natives build huts with mud floors, oviposition is frequently 

 made in the dust in the cracks of the floor. About 54 eggs are deposited 



