112 
Psyche 
[September 
Two Cases of Intestinal Myiasis in Man Produced by 
Hermetia (Diptera: Stratiomyiidae) . — In the late sum- 
mer of 1955 a man living in Tucson brought in a larval 
Hermetia , probably in its final instar, that had been passed 
with the stools. He reported that he had had a series of 
symptoms that might be traced to the myiasis, beginning 
with gastric upset several months before, passing through 
diarrhea and ending in uneasiness in the lower tract. The 
specimen was alive when he brought it in but, unfortu- 
nately, it escaped. It agreed well with Hermetia larvae 
in our collections but a specific name could not be assigned. 
This year, October 15, 1956, another man brought in a 
larva passed with the stools and in this case reported 
that he had noticed no symptoms at all. The larva was 
active at first but soon became quiescent and had obviously 
pupated. A female adult of Hermetia illucens (L.) emerged 
on the morning of October 23. Since both of these cases 
occurred within the area of metropolitan Tucson, in an 
area of about 200,000 population, myiasis by this fly may 
be more common than has been reported. Both cases 
were in residents in semirural areas, the man who played 
host for the 1955 specimen not having been outside the 
area for at least six months before the larva was re- 
covered. The 1956 infestation may have originated some- 
where else, since the man infested had returned from an 
extended trip in Mexico the month before. — Floyd G. 
Werner, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. 
