322 TABANID^ 



hover in the air in the morning and towards evening ; Colonel Yerbury 

 has informed me that he has seen the males of Hmmatopota dancing in 

 small groups in hot smishine, and he has also observed the male of Therio- 

 jjledes distinguendiLS hovering, but has not noticed that habit in any- 

 other large species of Tahanidce. 



The metamorphoses have recently been thoroughly worked out in 

 several North American species by Hine, and he states that all the species 

 of Tahanvs which he has been able to observe lay their eggs on the stems 

 or leaves of marsh plants {Sagittaria, etc.), and the larvae are carnivorous 

 and live on small crustaceans and minute invertebrates either alive or 

 dead; very few of the species can live actually in the water, but they 

 require marshy ground ; one species lives under water in " riffles " under 

 stones, but they live best in damp sand. Brauer once bred a Hcematopota 

 from a larva which came out of a coleopterous larva into which it had 

 bored, but of course it is possible that the coleopterous larva was dead 

 before it was attacked by the Hmmatopota larva. Hine states that the 

 perfect insects pair about eight o'clock in the morning for less than a 

 quarter of an hour, and that they collect in numbers overnight but dis- 

 perse each morning before noon. 



Aeeangement. — If the character of the tibial spurs indicates special 

 affinity to the Leptidcc, or if anybody thinks there is any connection 

 between Chrysops and Atherix (which I think as unlikely as with 

 A7ithrax !) it would be necessary to place the Pangoninm next to the 

 Leptidoe, but if (as seems more likely) Pangonia with its elongated 

 proboscis shows affinity with the Ncmestrininoe tbe Pangonince should come 

 last and lead on to the Ncmcstrinidcc. I am in favour of this latter view, 

 even though the venation and antennae show no stepping-stones, and 

 consequently I commence with Hcxatoma, which has the most flagelliform 

 antennae, and pass through Hcematopota to Tahanvs, and thence to the 

 Pangoninm, beginning them with their most Tabaniform genus Silvius, 

 followed by Chrysops. and close the family with Pangonia. The presence 

 of " touch-hairs " beneath the front tarsi undoubtedly shows some strong 

 affinity with the Leptidoi. 



