Tabanidae. 107 



yellowish femora of niy specimens of H. itulica, which are characters 

 I have not seen mentioned for this species, it could be thoughl that 

 this was variegata, but my females have a long, cylindrical, quite 

 grey, first joint of the antennæ, without any tinge of yellow, and 

 only with an indistinct constriction at the tip, and these ciiaracters do 

 not at all agree with the descriptions of variegata. Moreover I thinic 

 that Miss Ricardo is right, when she (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 7, XVIII, 96) 

 declares that she does not think variegata to be a good species but 

 synonymous with italica. 



4. Tabanus L 



Species of large to middie size, most frequently of blackish or 

 greyish colour. as a rule with reddish markings on the abdomen, 

 or with greyish spots or bands. Head a little In-oader than the thorax, 

 semiglobular or more flat, often broader than high, a little concave 

 behind. Face with an impressed line on each side, ending in a pit. 

 these lines bounding a more or less quadratic epistoma ; yowls only 

 a little descending below the eyes. The frontal band in the females 

 very often with a frontal cailus between the inner eye-corners, and 

 a linear niiddle cailus. Antennæ placed considerably below the middie 

 of the front side of the head, seven-jointed ; the two first joints small, 

 the third long, compressed, dilated at the Itase, and with an excision 

 in the upper margin; the four last joints forming an annulated style. 

 Eyes hairy or bare, often with purplish bands ; the facets in the males 

 of different sizes, or nearly equal. Ocelli wanting, but an ocellar 

 tubercle often present. Mouth parts quite resembling those in Hæma- 

 topota ; the labella of about half the length of the proboscis, moderately 

 broad ; the mandibles lanceolate, microscopically serrated on the inner 

 edge; the maxillary palpi two-jointed, the second joint in the female 

 somewhat curved, often thickened at the base, going out in a longer 

 or shorter point, and lying down the front side of the proboscis. In 

 the male there is a more or less triangular, membranous excision in 

 the epistoma; the maxillary palpi are porrect, and the second joint 

 short, often swoUen. Thorax nearly quadratic; abdomen as broad as 

 or a little broader than the tliorax, consisting of seven, not transformed 

 segments; the first dorsal segment with a triangular excision in the 

 middie line; in the males the abdomen is generally more pointed than 

 in the females. The middie tibiæ with two apical spurs. Wings 

 more or less hyaline, at most with a fumigated spot; the anterior 

 branch of the cubital fork with or without a veinlet. When at rest 

 the wings are borne a little open. 



