32 
Parasitic Diptera 
IT. P ROT OCA LLIPHORA . 
There is a marked tendency both in Europe and in N. America to place 
the three species of haematophagous Calliphorine flies ( caerulea R. D., azurea 
Falk, and metallica Tyler Townsend) in the genus Phormia. 
The genus Pliormia was established by Robineau-Desvoidy in 1849 and 
accepted by Coquillet in 1910 (p. 589) for the species Musca regina Meigen 
1826 which differs markedly from the above mentioned calliphorine species. 
The calliphorine bird parasites cannot therefore be placed with the species 
regina Meigen in the same genus Phormia. As to the new generic name 
Euphormia proposed by Tyler Townsend in 1919 (p. 542) for the genotype 
regina it becomes quite superfluous, and was introduced only through mis¬ 
interpretation of Villeneuve’s statements (see 1911, p. 84). 
The right generic name for the bird parasites is that of Protocalliphora 
Hough 1899, as it has already been used by me in the third volume of 
the Katalog der palaearldischen Dipteren, pp. 544-545. The true genus 
Phormia thus remains a monotype, with the species regina, while in the genus 
Protophormia Tyler Townsend 1908 must be placed the species terraenovae 
Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 (= groenlandica Zetterstedt 1838) 1 and Boganidae 
Erichson 1851. 
There has been some discussion about the validity of the described species 
of Protocalliphora. Hendel in 1901 (p. 29) distinguished in this genus five 
different species, while Hough, Villeneuve and Bequaert accepted only two 
species which were subsequently united by Roubaud (1918) into a single 
species. However, Kramer (1911, p. 43) has already shown that the species 
can be distinguished by the structure of the male genitalia; and recently 
Engler (1920) clearly established the existence of the two distinct European 
species by the study of the structure of the larval, pupal and adult stages. In 
addition to the two European species Tyler Townsend (1919) has added a 
third North American species: metallica. Of the two European species caerulea 
is the commoner. It shows however in addition to sexual dichroism, some 
variation in the breadth of the frons in the male and in the colour of the 
calypters. Being often the unique species of Protocalliphora present in col¬ 
lections, it was erroneously subdivided into two or more species under the 
names of sordida, azurea, hraueri, etc.; the other species azurea is more uniform 
but very often wanting in collections. 
The three known species of Protocalliphora may be distinguished as 
follows: 
1 (4). Parafacialia without golden spot above. 
2 (3). Parafacialia (viewed obliquely from above) smooth and uniformly 
covered with whitish pollen or dust. The two sexes differ in colour: the male 
has the thorax and abdomen of metallic dark blue coloration with scarce 
1 In the Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera I have erroneously reported this species under the 
name caerulea R. D., which belongs to Protocalliphora. 
