2. TABANUS 375 



wliicli lie about half -way between them and the wing-base ; preealar calli 

 sometimes only indistinctly ferruginous. Pubescence shorter and less dense 

 than in the male, but much more composed of pale yellow hairs along the 

 sidemargins, Avliile on the disc there are more depressed thin short pale hairs ; 

 pubescence on the pleurae, especially on the back part, paler brownish yellow 

 and more conspicuous. Scutellum greyish black, with mainly pale pubescence 

 about the tip. 



Abdomen more quadrate than in the male because the fifth and sixth 

 segments are practically as wide as the fourth, and with slightly more 

 extended paler orange coloring because the black dorsal line (though broader) 

 is less defined and becomes vaguer on the hind half of each segment through 

 the greater extent of the rather vague triangles of pale yellow pubescence, 

 and the whole abdomen appears to be more pale orange because of the 

 universal short dense depressed orange pubescence on the whole of four 

 basal segments (except on the black dorsal part), while the hindmargins of 

 all seven segments have pale orange fringes, and there is a small amount 

 of scattered depressed pale pubescence on the fifth and sixth segments (where 

 the usual Tahamis-like side-flecks should be), as well as on the sidemargins ; 

 otherwise the fifth and sixth segments bear rather longer more erect black 

 pubescence, and the small seventh segment also bears some longer erect 

 black hairs ; the triangle of pale hairs at the middle of the hindmargin of 

 each segment rests on a slightly grey piece of ground colour and extends 

 more than half-way up the segment ; lateral margins of the dorsal plate 

 beginning with a blackish grey metathoracic plate, then with a fair-sized 

 blackish grey spot on the first segment, followed by a dark line on the 

 second segment, while the brownish colour on the third and fourth segments 

 is widely spread and merges into the blackish colour of the fifth and sixth 

 segments. Belly orange with a small blackish spot at the middle of the base 

 but becoming mainly brown on and after the fourth segment ; clothed all over 

 with dense short depressed pale yellow pubescence, but the seventh segment 

 with some longer ei'ect black hairs. 



Legs colored as in the male, but the iiubescence shorter and less con- 

 spicuous and decidedly more pale on the hind femora and tibiae ; front coxte 

 with more conspicuous all pale yellow pubescence ; the tiny pubescence on 

 the front tibiae mainly pale yellow on the basal two-fifths, and on the 

 middle tibite on the basal three-quarters, and the middle tibiae do not bear 

 the long delicate black pubescence which is conspicuous in the male but 

 have a shorter sparser rather inconspicuous mainly pale dorsal pubescence 

 (much less abundant and less evident than in the female of T. solstitialis) 

 and a slight short ciliation on the underside (though an isolated black hair 

 or two may be intermixed) and the apical quarter bears only shorter black 

 bristly hairs though sometimes the black hairs predominate on the upper 

 side ; hind tibite with short pale pubescence on the basal three-fifths, and 

 with the dorsal ciliation less strong and coarse and conspicuously pale on 

 usually more (though sometimes less) than the basal half, though this 

 pubescence becomes rather coarse and black on the apical third, but on the 

 underside the pubescence is all slight short and pale except at the tip. 



Wings, squamae, and halteres as in the male. 



Length about 14-5 mm., but varying from 13 mm. to 15-5 mm. 



This species varies but very little; the dorsal black line down 

 the abdomen may vary a little in width and in intensity, and sometimes 

 in the male the middle quarter of the abdomen may be darkened by a 

 parallel-sided dorsal stripe to the end of the fourth segment, though the 

 usual reddish markings are still quite traceable, and this makes the whitish 

 triangles more distinct, even on the fifth segment ; the palpi of the male 

 vary from dull orange to blackish grey, and the short black bristles on 

 them vary in amount in both sexes; the antennas are always mainly 

 reddish, but ihe basal joint is often darkened, and the amount of dorsal 

 darkening on the third joint after the hump and of black hairs or 



