446 



MAJOR E. E. AUSTEN, 



synonyms of T. striatns, Fabr., while T. hilaris, Walk., is treated as a valid species.. 

 Curiously enough, in writing of T. hilaris Miss Ricardo says ( loc. cit., p. 153) : " A 

 species distinguished from T. striatus, F., by the short median stripe of abdomen,, 

 which does not begin till the third segment and by the shorter lateral stripes which 

 usually terminate on the third or fourth segment." The author in question thus 

 appears to regard as distinctive in comparison with T. striatns, Fabr., characters 

 which are actually among those given by Fabricius himself as diagnostic of the latter 

 species. t 



It may be added that Tabanus sinicus, Walk. (List. Dipt. Ins. in coll. Brit. Mus., 

 i, p. 163 (1848)) — the type of which, from Hong Kong, is in the National Collection — 

 though included by Miss Ricardo among the synonyms of T. striatus, is in reality 

 perfectly distinct. Although allied to T. striatus, Fabr., it is, in the r? sex, readily 

 distinguishable, inter alia, by the greater extent of the area of enlarged facets in the 

 eyes, and by the absence of all trace of a dark band on this area. 



The description of T. striatus given by Wiedemann (Auss. Zweifl. Ins., i, p. 155 

 (1828)) would appear to apply better to T. tenens. Walk., than to the true T. striatus, 

 Fabr. 



9. Tabanus virgulatus, sp. n. (fig. 5). 



$— Length (one specimen) 16 mm.; width of head, 5-75 mm. 

 vertex, • 6 mm . ; length of wing, 13-5 mm . 



width of front at 



Fig. 5. Head of Tabanus virgulatus, Austen, sp. n., § ; a, front view; b, profile. 



Medium-sized species, with dark olive-grey thorax relieved by lighter stripes and 

 dorsum of abdomen blackish-broivn, bearing a sharply defined, light buff, longitudinal 

 median stripe, and on each side of this, between it and lateral margin, ^ a longitudinal 

 series of somewhat fainter, light buff ovoid blotches or spots, diminishing successively 

 in size towards posterior extremity, and disappearing before actually reaching it. 



Head : Front and subcallus oHve-buff pollinose, former clothed with minute blackish 

 hairs above, and with similar pale hairs below ; face, jowls and occiput pale smoke- 

 grey polhnose, clothed with whitish hair, hind margin of upper part of posterior orbits 



t Fabricius [loc. cit.) in his description of T. striatus writes : " Abdomen fuscum lineis tribus 

 albis, lateralibus, a basi ad medium ductis, media a medio versus apicem." 



