Page:Tropical Diseases.djvu/963

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XLVI]
MYIASIS
905

and beast, and produces a small inflamed swelling, from which it emerges in from six to seven days.

In Africa, and in many other parts of the tropical world, similar anthropophagous larvæ, which, however, have not yet been satisfactorily identified, are frequently encountered. According to Griinberg all these larvæ belong to one species—Cordylobia anthropophaga; on the other hand, Gedoelst distinguishes four different species—Ochromyia anthropophaga, Bengalia depressa (widely distributed), Cordylobia anthropophaga (German East Africa), and a larva of undetermined species— Lund's" larva (Congo Free State).

AUCHMEHOMYIA LUTEOLA (Fabricius, 1805)

Synonym.Musca luteola.

History.Auchmeromyia luteola was first described by Fabricius in 1805 under the name of Musca luteola. In January, 1904, Captain Lelean described and figured this fly, which he had collected and reared from the larva while on service with the Anglo-French Boundary Commission in Northern Nigeria. He stated that the larva occurs as a cutaneous parasite on natives near Sokoto. In July of the same year, at the Oxford meeting of the British Medical Association, Button, Todd and Christy gave a more detailed account of the life habits of this dipterous insect, and pointed out that in its larval stage it is a keen blood-sucker, and is known throughout the Congo as the " Congo floor maggot."

Geographical distribution.Auchmeromyia luteola is widely distributed throughout tropical Africa. On the "West Coast it ranges from Northern Nigeria to Natal. Button, Todd and Christy found it all over the Lutete and surrounding districts, and at Leopold ville. They were told that it is common at San Salvador in Portuguese territory, on the Congo at Matadi in the cataract region, and at Tchumbiri, 150 miles above Stanley Pool. An intelligent native from Lake Tchad informed them that it was common in Western Tchad regions. It was found by Neave in the Soudan.

Specific diagnosis (Fig. 220).— The fly measures from 10 to 12 mm. in length, and its body is rather stoutly built. The general colour is orange-buff, but numerous small black hairs give it a smoky appearance. The head is large, with eyes well separated in both sexes. The thorax shows two indistinct, dark, longitudinal stripes, which do not reach its posterior border. The abdomen differs in the two sexes, the second segment in the female being twice the length of the same segment in the male. The first segment has a narrow dark stripe on its hind margin in both sexes; the second segment in the male is marked by a broader band, tapering forwards along the middle line to the base of the segment. In the female the dark band is so wide that it occupies almost the whole segment. The third segment is almost entirely black in both sexes. The fourth is dark at the base and lighter posteriorly. The legs are the same colour as the rest