1 904] /OHNSON —DIP TERA 3 5 



WHEN TO COLLECT TABANIDAE. 



BY CHARLES W JOHNSON, BOSTON, MASS. 



While the Tabanidae are to be found in considerable numbers during the late 

 spring and throughout the summer, there is generally a certain time when they are 

 unusually abundant. This depends to a great extent on the latitude. In Florida 

 they are most numerous during the latter part of May and stock suffer severely 

 unless protected. The most characteristic species of this region are Tabanus tri- 

 junctus Walk., T. mexicanus L., 2'. fuscopututatus Macq., and T. megerlei Wied., while 

 Diachlortis ferrugiitus Fabr. is often very annoying. 



In Georgia and the Carolinas they are more abundant during the first two weeks 

 of June, the species more or less confined to this section being T. turbidus Wd., T. 

 fronto O. S., T. endymioti O. S., T. tenera O. S., and the two black species T. 

 lugubris Macq., and T. wiedeman'ni O. S. During the latter part of June while 

 cruising along the west side of the Chesapeake Bay in search of miocene fossils I 

 found Tabanidae very plentiful. 



But the principal captures I wish to record were those made at Riverton, N. J. 

 On July 4, 1902, it was my good fortune to run across a gentle cow that was tethered 

 on a low piece of land near a creek with springs and a pond in close proximity, an 

 ideal breeding place for Tabanids, and the day, an ideal one for the imagos. The 

 cow was the center of attraction. I was her friend and she seemed to understand 

 thoroughly what I was doing. In about two hours I had captured 12 species and 

 98 specimens of the genus Tabanus. On the 6th I again visited my pet cow and 

 was rewarded by two additional species, and 102 specimens, divided among the fol- 

 lowing species : 



T. trimaculatus Pal. -Beau. 29 T. fulviilus Wied. 3 



T. p II mihis M.?iC(\. 18 T. lineoIaYdhx. 3 



T. sparsus Whitney 16 T. coffeatus Macq. 2 



T. irispilus Wied. 9 T. costalis Wied. 2 



T. nivosus O. S. 8 T. recedens Walk. i 



T. stygiiis Say. 5 T. lasiophthahnus Macq. i 



T. super jumentarius Whit. 4 T. ductus Fabr. i 



During the summer of 1903 I was equally fortunate in finding another gentle cow 

 at Auburndale, Mass., but at no time did I find Tabanids very numerous. The fol- 

 lowing is a list of the species taken : — T. hinei Johnson, T. superjumentarius, T. 

 liiieola and T. pumilus, on July J2; T. coffeatus, T. stygius, T. atratus and T. 

 sparsus, on August 2. 



