460 



NOTES UN AUSTRAL1A.N TABAXLUAE. 

 By Eustace W. Ferguson, M.B., Ch.M., and Gerald i'. Hill, F.E.S. 



The present papei' is tlie outcome of correspoudence between the two authors 

 on the question of the identification of specimens of Australian Tabanidae. 



One of us (E.W.F.), while in London, had the opportunity of examining 

 the types of Australian Tabanidae in the Natural Historj' Branch of the British 

 Museum, and of comparing specimens with the types. In many instances the 

 identifications were made by Miss Ricardo. Authentically identified specimens of 

 many species were thus available, and these have been compared with such types 

 as are in the collection of the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine at Towns- 

 viUe. 



The correspoudence and comparison of specimens have revealed the fact that 

 considerable synonymy exists among lecently described species. Some of this 

 is due to misidentification of previously described species, but much is due to too 

 much reliance having been placed on slight variation in characters whidi can be 

 sliown, with long series, to be variable within the one species. 



Incidentally it has shown that the groups suggested by Miss Ricardo for the 

 division of the genus Tabanus are valueless, at any rate as applied to Australian 

 species. The characters separating gi-oups vii., viii., ix. and x. ai'e entirely super- 

 ficial, depending solely on clothing, so that the grouping of a species is dependent 

 on the degree of abrasion of the specimen . 



While the paper deals mainly with synonymy, one new sjK'cics ha-s been 

 described, and the descriptions of one or two others have liceii held up pending 

 the receipt of further material or information. 



We should like to acknowledge the lielp we have received from Dr. (lay .V. 

 K. Marshall, Director of the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, in cniiiiiai-ing 

 specimens with types in the British Museum. 



Dkm()i>l.\tu.s nicrovittatu.s, n.sp. 



Closely allied to I), aiislraliti Kicardd, liiil differing in culdiiriitiiiu (it the 

 abdomen. 



c?. Face brown, with yellowish-brown tomcntum and rather sparse brown 

 hairs; separated from cheeks by deep groove; cheeks similar; beard white. Palpi 

 with second joint long, somewhat club-shaped as in D. aiistralis, but black. Pro- 

 boscis comparatively short. Antennae reddish-brown, second joint about half the 

 length of the first; third joint apparently 8-annulate, but anuuli somewhat indefin- 

 ite and hard to distinguish, ba.sal part somewhat wider than rest of joint, first 

 and second joints with long dark hairs. Eye^ contiguous, moderately finely face- 

 ted, bare. Ocelli present. Thorax dark brown, with brown tomcntum and indis- 

 tinct traces of 3 longitudinal tomentose vittae, the median darker, the submedian 



