SOME BLOOD-SUCKING AND OTHER DIPTERA FROM THE ANGLO-EGYPTIAN SUDAN 65 



Redescribed from a $ from Delagoa Bay, and a $ from Buvuma I., Lake Victoria, 

 Uganda: types of redeseription in British Museum (Natural History), and specially labelled. 



This easily-recognised species, perhaps the handsomest of the African representatives of 

 the genus Tabanus, was met with in the Bahr-El-Ghazal, in February, 1905, by Major R. H. 

 Penton, D.S.O., R.A.M.C. A second specimen in the Museum collection, labelled "White 

 Nile," was taken by Consul Petherick about 1862. As shown by the extensive series of 

 specimens in the possession of the Museum, the range of T. afrkanus extends from Natal to 

 the East Africa Protectorate and the Nile Provinces of the Egyptian Sudan, and westwards 

 at least as far north as Angola. Although the possible distinctness of the two species was 

 hinted at long ago by Loew [op. cit., p. [109] 37), T. afrkanus has hitherto been confused 

 with the closely similar T. latipes, Macq. (Diptferes Exotiques, I. 1, p. 119 (1838) ), which 

 was originally described from Senegal. The latter species agrees with T. afrkanus in the 

 coloration and markings of the body, as also in the general arrangement of the wing markings, 

 but is distinguished by the brown on the costal border not being continued beyond the 

 stigma (no infuscation at the tips of the second and of the upper branch of the third vein), 

 and by the brown band across the middle of the wing not reaching the hind margin. 

 Jahanus latipes, Macq,, does not appear to reach South Africa, but apparently extends across 

 the Continent from west to east, since the Museum possesses two females taken in Senaar, on 

 the Blue Nile, in September, 1902, by Major H. N. Dunn ; it is therefore possible that both 

 T. latipes and 7. africanus will be found existing together in Kordofan or the Bahr-El- 

 Gliazal. It may be worthy of note that a female of T. latipes in the Museum collection, 

 from the neighbourhood of Pawa, on the Katsina-Sokoto Boundary, Northern Nigeria, taken 

 in August, 1904 [the Acting Resident of Kano, per Sir F. D. Lugard, K.C.M.G.), was 

 received with four specimens of Tahanus virgatus, Aust., and a fifth Tahanus too much 

 damaged to be determinable, with the following general label by the Acting Resident of 

 Kano : " Wayam fly ; kills horses." 



Tabanus africanus and 7! latipes are members of what may be termed the " Tabanus 

 fasciatus group," the species belonging to which, in addition to the general yellowish, 

 ochraceous or ferruginous colour of the body, are characterised by the possession of swollen 

 front tibiae and banded wings. Besides the species mentioned, the Museum collection 

 includes representatives of three others which have yet to be described. Tabanus macu- 

 latissimus, Macq., which is found from Natal to British Central Africa, may be regarded as 

 an offshoot of the group in question, since, although the front tibife are distinctly swollen, 

 the groimd-colour of the body is dark brown, the legs are pale instead of black as is usually 

 the case in the T. fasciatus group, and the wings instead of being banded are blotched or 

 speckled with brown. 



NON-BLOOD-SUCKING SPECIES 



Family MUSCID^ 



Genus Ptcnosoma, Br. and von Berg 



Although the species of the genus Pycnosoma are incapable of sucking blood, they may 

 very possibly play a part in the dissemination of such diseases as cholera and enteric fever, 

 since their habits are similar to those of the House-Fly*. They swarm about filth trenches, 

 and breed in fsecal matter and offal of all kinds. 



*Cf. E. E. Austen, "The House-Fly and Certain Allied Species as Disseminators of Enteric Fever among 

 Troops in the Field " : Journal of the Eoyal Army Medical Corps, June, 1904, pp. 1-16, Plates I. and II. 



E 



