First report of ophthalmomyaisis externa in Pakistan.

Two individuals presented to the Aga Khan University Opthalmology service with foreign-body sensation, pain and redness in one of their eyes. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy revealed tiny larvae crawling around the conjunctival sac. They were mechanically removed under topical anaesthesia and preserved for light microscopy and photography. Comprehensive liaison was established with the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research for identification of these larvae. Their morphology characterized them as members of fruit-fly, Oestridae family. At least one of them was positively identified as first instar larva of Oestrus ovis. This report describes the first instance of such infections in Southern Pakistan, as concluded after a Medline search.

Termites of a South African savanna : I. List of species and subhabitat preferences.

This study describes the termite fauna of the South African Savanna Ecosystem Project study area at Nylsvley Reserve, Naboomspruit, northern Transvaal. Twenty species of fifteen genera and two families are recorded, and biological notes are given. The faunal composition is broadly similar to that of West African savannas, but a little impoverished. Main deficiencies are in variety of Macrotermitinae and Trinervitermes; Termitinae are broadly comparable.Most of the species occur in the flatter areas of broad-leaved savanna; three are restricted to open land bordering a marsh. Steeply rocky broad-leaved savanna lacks two species but has two others restricted to it; Acacia patches (including sites of former human settlement) have a much reduced variety of species.

Termites of a South African savanna : II. Densities and populations of smaller mounds, and seasonality of breeding.

The commonest epigeal termite mounds at Nylsvley Reserve, northern Transvaal, are constructed by Cubitermes pretorianus and shared by other termites and by ants. Two surveyed areas had the equivalents of 385 and 496 mounds ha-1 (328 and 432 ha-1 respectively with live Cubitermes). Counts of all termite species and stages in 13 mounds are given. Nests contained up to 15,000 Cubitermes workers (of which up to 0.7% were parasitised by nematodes). Egg-laying was seasonal, with a peak early in the wet season and few eggs in the nest in late autumn (and hence few larvae in winter). Soldier production showed two peaks per year, one at swarming and one in mid-dry season. Aganotermes workers sharing the mounds showed seasonal (over winter) abdominal storage of food reserves. Counts of populations and stored forage in two small Trinervitermes rhodesiensis mounds are also given.

Termites of a South African savanna : III. Comparative attack on toilet roll baits in subhabitats.

Cellulose toilet roll baits were exposed in three different subhabitats at Nylsvley Reserve, northern Transvaal, and respective attacks by up to eight species of termites are described and illustrated. In broad-leaved savanna attack was principally by Microcerotermes, a slow feeder that attacked rolls throughout the year, finding about half the rolls exposed each season. In Acacia savanna attack was largely by Microtermes, a fast feeder active only at wetter times of year. In open, grassy areas there was relatively little attack, except sporadically by Macrotermes which consumed whole rolls within a day or two. Bush-fires delayed initial attack on rolls, perhaps because reduced surface litter gave less protection to soil. The amount of each roll eaten during the trials is shown in histograms; it was consistently greater in Acacia than in broad-leaved savanna. The soil-feeding termites Aganotermes and Promirotermes were attracted during the wet season to the undersides of rolls, perhaps as a source of organic-rich soil (or possibly of water).

Termites of a South African savanna : IV. Subterranean populations, mass determinations and biomass estimations.

Shallow soil cores taken every four weeks for a year in broad-leaved savanna and in Acacia savanna at Nylsvley Reserve, northern Transvaal, supported evidence on termite distribution and abundance reported in earlier papers. Surface activity was markedly affected by soil moisture, and the extent to which the core results can be used to assess subterranean populations is discussed. Live and dry masses for 14 species of termite are reported, and these results plus epigeal nest populations published elsewhere are used to calculate termite density and biomass in the two vegetation types. Tentative figures are 3,00 workers m-1 (=8 g m-1 fresh mass; 2.5 g m-1 dry mass) in broad-leaved savanna, and 725 workers m-1 (=1 g m-1 fresh mass; 0.3 g m-1 dry mass) in Acacia savanna. Excluding the mass of soil in the guts of soil-feeding species, these masses are reduced to 3 g m-1 (fresh) and 1 g m-1 (dry) in broad-leaved savanna, and 0.5 g m-1 (fresh) and 0.15 g m-1 (dry) in Acacia.