168 THE EARLY STAGES OF TABANID^ 



" Pupa.— [Flate 11, Fig. 126; Plate 13, Fig. 165.] Length 26 mm., diameter 

 6 mm. Color yellowish brown, the thorax being nearly the same color as the ab- 

 domen. Tubercles of the head region well marked and distinctly darker than 

 the surrounding parts. Prothoracic spiracular tubercle brown in color, ele- 

 vated, narrow, ventral half oblique, dorsal half turned directly forward, thus 

 forming a distinct bend near the middle of the length; rima nearly straight from 

 outer end to the middle and evenly curved for the remainder of its length, inner 

 tip curved backward, thus forming a well-defined hook. First abdominal spiracle 

 nearly round; its rima following the posterior curvature, very narrow, but a little 

 widened above; remaining abdominal spiracles a little smaller than the first one, 

 each with a short, slightly curved or straight rima. Terminal abdominal segment 

 [Plate 13, Fig. 165] with several small spines near the middle of its length and 

 six larger spines at its apex. These spines are all brown in color, with the apex of 

 each approaching black. Six apical spines of nearly the same size; the dorsal 

 pair point upward, outward, and slightly backward, the lateral one on each side 

 outward and backward, while the ventral pair extend almost directly backward. 

 These six spines mark the corners of a hexagon with nearly equal sides, but the 

 ventral pair are a little nearer together than the dorsal pair." 



Tliis appears to be all tliat we Icnow about tlie early stages of this 

 species. From the place where the pupa was found, tlie larva appears 

 to be terrestrial in habit, lilce that of Tabanus fronto, but one should 

 bear in mind that possibly the young larva is aquatic and leaves the 

 water at a later stage of its development. 



Tabanus tceniola Palisot de Beauvois. — This species is, according to 

 King, the most common and most widely distributed tabanid found 

 in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and tlie most frequently accused of 

 causing the death of camels. Occurring on the White Nile as far 

 north as Dueim, stray specimens have occasionally l3ccn taken in 

 Khartoum. King was able to secure oviposition in capti\dty in this 

 species as well as in Tabanus par, and has described the egg and 

 larva. The pupal stage is not known. 



In order to secure eggs, gorged females were taken in May, on cattle 

 grazing near Bor, and placed in a breeding cage with a dish contain- 

 ing grass and weeds growing in mud and water. They were fed on 

 sugar and water, and a few batches of eggs were obtained. A single 

 egg batch was taken in May on a blade of grass overhanging a dried 

 up water pool near Kanissa wood-station, and a number of batches of 

 eggs were collected early in July from grasses and weeds overhanging 

 rain pools at Gebelein. 



