8 THE DIPTERA-BRACHYCERA OF TASMANIA 



spots, which are situated respectively on the base of the 

 cubital fork, the outer margin of the disci'l cell, and the- 

 outer angles of the first and second basal cells ; cubital 

 fork with a recurrent veinlet. 



Male resembles the female, but the eyes are joined and 

 densely hairy, the face covered with dense black and white 

 pubescence, antennae blackish, thorax and sides of abdo- 

 men with abundant black pubescence, femora with long 

 black hairs, and hind tibiae with extremely long black 

 pubescence. 



This species may be readily distinguished from all the 

 other Tasmanian species of Tabanus by its spotted wings. 

 The females occur not uncommonly in the bush in the 

 Bagdad Valley, but of the male I have only come across 

 a, single specimen, which was frequenting low bush flowers. 

 This is the first Tasmanian species to appear on the wing ; 

 my dates range from November 17 to January 18. It 

 also occurs in Victoria. 



Tabanus tasmaniensis, Sp. nov. 



A medium-sized, dark brown sjDecies with the wing-veins 

 suffused with brown. Frontal stripe narrow at vertex, 

 broad below ; thorax black, striped with grey ; abdomen 

 broad and flat, deep brown, with the hindmargins of seg- 

 ments very broadly grey or pale brown ; femora black ; 

 tibiae light brown. 



Length. Female, 12 mm. 



Hab. Bagdad. 



Female. Face grey, with black pubescence. Frontal 

 stripe narrow above, broadening below, black, dusted with 

 grey, the lower part forming a shining black (alius, bhl 

 whole bearing short and scanty black pubescence; frontal 

 triangle grey. Palpi pale red or pale yellow, more than 

 half the length of the proboscis. Antennas with first, 

 second, and base of third joint reddish-black, remainder 

 deep black, the first bearing unusually long black hairs; 

 the third joint slightly humped. Eyes hairy. Thorax 

 olive-black, striped indistinctly with grey. Abdomen 

 unusually broad and flattened, deep brown, the first, seg- 

 ment unicolorous, remaining segments with hindmargins 

 very broadly pale brown or grey, the second segment also 

 with the fore margin grey on either side of the middle* 

 the size of these grey patches varying in different speci- 

 mens; there is also a row of whitish centre-spots, which 

 may 1"- wanting in dried specimens. Legs with femora 

 blackish-brown, tibia pale brown, tarsi dark brown ; 

 femora with scanty white pubescence, tibiae with black 



