WERNER MARCHAND 91 



This appears to be all that is known about the early stages of 

 Tabanus atratus. 



Tahanus atrimanus Loew. — An African species, common near Mt. 

 Mlanje in southern Nyasaland, having a preference for the neighbor- 

 hood of wooded streams, and being there most abundant in Novem- 

 ber and December. 



Neave collected and bred the larvae. On October 25 a number of 

 larvae were taken in the Ruo River among the roots of grasses in 

 running water, but occasional individuals were also found in the 

 mud in other wooded streams. Imagos, bred from these, began to 

 emerge on November 25. At the same spot in the Ruo River some 

 other larvae were found which may be those of Tahanus pertinens, 

 but they were not bred to the adult stage. 



The larvae, which are figured (Plate 3, Fig. 52) are strikingly dis- 

 tinct from those of the apparently closely allied Tabanus variabilis 

 Lw. They are of a somewhat opaque yellowish color, with rather 

 faint brown pigmented areas. The pseudopodia are well devel- 

 oped, as is the case with other species found in running water, and 

 there are well marked hairs on the syphon. Though invisible in 

 preserved specimens, two pseudopodia of considerable length are 

 present immediately anterior to the anus. 



The pupa is a clear orange-yellow color and the aster is remark- 

 able for the erectness and large size of the dorsal pair of hooks, 

 especially in the female. The dorsolateral comb consists of a few 

 widely spread spines. 



The larva (Plate 3, Fig. 52), the pupal aster of both sexes, and the 

 dorsolateral comb of the female are figured (Plate 14, Fig. 173, a, b, c). 



Tabanus autumnalis Linne. — Scholtz (1850) reports finding the 

 pupae of this species, which is common in Europe, with those of 

 Tabanus tropicus and Hcematopota pluvialis (see also these species), 

 on an excursion in the neighborhood of Breslau in June, 1850, at the 

 edge of a pond covered with Lemna, the water of which was com- 

 pletely polluted from manure piles surrounding it. The pupae, of 

 which the flies emerged after a few days, were found quite near the 

 edge under a thick moist mass of decaying Lemna, together with 

 Stratiomys and Syrphus pupae. 



