NCV EXPEDITION VOYAG E S 



only their front ends were embedded 

 in the mucosal folds. It is possible that 

 the bots develop rather slowly, perhaps 

 because they are competing with so 

 many other sister bots, and overstress- 

 ing their hosts would not be at all to 

 their advantage. But that hypothesis 

 awaits further confirmation. 



Unfortunately, "my" rhinoceros 

 hosted no third-instar bots, so I 

 wasn't able to rear adult flies. Mature 

 third-instar bots are whitish to yellow 

 with irregular dark brown spots — evi- 

 dence of the internal changes they are 

 making as they prepare to pupate. G. 

 rliinocerontis then passes out through the 

 host's anus. Zumpt's research showed 

 that the black pupal cases do not occur 

 in rhinoceros dung piles, which the 

 males leave to advertise their presence 

 and rank to other rhinos. So it is like- 

 ly that the bots quickly burrow into the 

 soil beneath the dung or pass out of the 

 anus independently of defecation, bur- 

 rowing somewhere away from the dung 

 piles. After six weeks of pupating, the 

 adult flies emerge. 



Entomologists still have much to 

 learn about these rare and amazing flies. 

 By now, the basic biology of G. 

 rhinocerontis has been extensively stud- 

 ied, but the nature of their interaction 

 with Africa's rhinoceros species — the 

 flies' exclusive hosts — still needs exten- 

 sive probing. No one knows what ef- 

 fect the presence of hundreds of bots in 

 the stomach has, if any, on the rhinoc- 

 eros's temperament. Was Delegorgue 

 right? Are rhinos more ornery because 

 of their baggage of bots? Given the 

 widespread, and continuing, concern 

 about the conservation of both African 

 rhinoceros species, that question, and 

 related ones, will need to be answered. 

 And answering them will prove useful 

 in the understanding of at least two spe- 

 cies, notjust the more prominent one — 

 whichever one that might be. 



David A. Barraclough is an investigator in 

 Biological and Conservation Sciences at the I Uni- 

 versity of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South 

 Africa. He is currently taking part in a major tax- 

 onomic study of South Africa 's tangle-veined flics, 

 a group important in pollination biology. 



Up close and personal. 



Discover the stunning 

 narural beauty and wildlife 

 of "The White Continent" 

 and the spectacular landscape 

 of Chile, including Torres del 



Paine National Park. - ^^S"^OT»WF^//////« 



Our 19-day voyages start WL7*m\w**M"""*B , .f * 



at $5,495, including airfare. ..'« «r;r*^~\M V«JAij-i_li , ^sjjj 

 Call 1-800-205-3005 for a |||||||mm. 



brochure, 1-800-323-7436 



for reservations. 



Rates are per person, double 

 occupancy, based on departure 

 date and cabin category. Some 

 departure taxes, security and 

 airport fees not included. 



LAN 



Excellence in 



www.norwegiancoastalvoyage. 



egian Coastal Voyage Inc. 



Take a GLANCE 



AT an EXOTIC 

 LAND. 



Guatemala 



soul of the earth 



Thousands of years old Maya metropolises, 

 legendary colonial cities and the warmth 

 of people waiting for you. Thousands 

 of kilometers of jungle and forests filled with 

 adventure and mystery. Ev erything you sigh 

 for is in Ciuatemala. 



FOR MORE INFORMATION 

 CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL AGENT 

 www.vltllguattmalj.com 

 Toll frat 1-800-464-8281 



