THE FLIES THAT CAUSE MYIASIS IX MAN 



79 



in the first batch: at least a second deposition may be made. The 

 newly hatched larva conceals itself in the sand or dust of cracks or 

 under the sleeping mats of African natives; at night it attaches itself 

 to the skin of the sleeper and sucks his blood. According to Roubaud, 

 it is absolutely specific to man and is adapted in its habits to the native 

 blacks, who sleep on the floor: it is unable to reach a cot elevated as 

 little as 10 centimeters from the 

 ground. There are three larval in- 

 stars: the duration of the larval stage 

 is about 2 weeks under ideal condi- 

 tions of nourishment, although the 

 larva is capable of withstanding a fast 

 of a month or more, and under condi- 

 tions of prolonged or intermittent 

 fasting the life cycle is greatly 

 lengthened. 



An attack by these bloodsucking 

 larvae cannot be considered myiasis in 

 the proper sense, though it represents 

 a related phenomenon. The larvae of 

 Auchmeromyia are the only larvae to 

 suck the blood of man. although spe- 

 cies of closely related genera prey in a 

 similar fashion on African Suidae and 

 Edentates, and other Calliphoridae 

 and Muscidae similarly attack nesting 

 birds. 



Auchmeromyia Juteola should be 

 considered a nuisance which will dis- 

 appear with the advent of civilization. 

 The bite is not painful, and the natives 

 do not seem to mind it : there are ap- 

 parently no pathogenic complications. 



For an extended treatment of the 

 taxonomy and biologv of this fly, see 

 Roubaud (126). Pattern (106) dis- 

 cusses the taxonomy and gives a key 

 to Auchmeromyia in the broader 

 sense. 



The Genus CORDYLOBIA Grunberg 



Figure 37. — Auchmeromyia luie- 

 ola: A, Third-stage larva. B. 

 dorsal view of last segment of 

 third-stage larva. (After Ron- 

 baud ( 126).) 



This is a genus of yellowish, non- 

 metallic flies of medium size. The haustellum is short and a little 

 swollen, the palpi are gently clavate. and the arista scantily plumose 

 on about the basal two-thirds, the cilia being shorter below. The eyes 

 are narrowly separated in the male; the vertex of the female is about 

 one-fourth the head width, the front is nearly parallel-sided, and pro- 

 clinate fronto-orbitals are present. There are three pairs of presutural 

 acrosticals and two sternopleurals. Vein r 4+5 is ciliated as a rule some- 

 what less than halfway to cross vein r-m. 



As used here, the genus is restricted to one known species. 



