TABANUS. INSECTS. 379 



reticulated posteriorly ; legs long ; abdomen clavate in the 

 males, and terminating in a scaly bivalve point in the females. 



T. pralensis, Lat. Body black, with the front and spots on the tho- 

 rax reddish brown ; abdomen of the female with spots of this co- 

 lour on the sides. Inhabits Europe, in meadows, the larvae de- 

 stroying the roots of grasses. Fab. Spec. ii. 403. 



T. lunata, Fab. Cinereous, with a black line along the upper part 

 of the abdomen ; wings cinereous, with a whitish marginal lu- 

 nule. Inhabits Europe, in meadows. Fab. Spec. ii. 402. 



T. oleracea, Fab. Grayish brown, without spots, and the wings 

 bordered exteriorly with brown. Inhabits Europe, in meadows. 

 Fab. Spec. 404. 



FAMILY II. TANYSTOMA. 



Rostrum often long, wholly or in great part concealed; sucker 

 composed of six pieces ; larvae with a scaly head, and chang- 

 ing their skin in passing into the pupa state. 



TRIBE I. TABANIJ, Lat. 



Sucker of six pieces ; last joint of the antennae destitute of a 

 style or seta at the end, with from four to eight transverse 

 divisions or rings ; rostrum very long, filiform in many, and 

 entirely exterior ; wings always distant. 



I. Last joint of the antennae divided at the base into eight rings ; rostrum very long 

 and pointed. 



Gen. PANGONIA. 



II. Last joint of the antennae divided from nearly the middle into four or five rings ; 

 rostrum of medium length, or short, terminated by a dilatation formed by the lips. 



1. No ocelli. 



Gen. TABANUS, HEMATOPOTA, HEPTATOMA. 



2. With ocelli. 



Gen. RHINOMYZA, SILVIUS, ACANTHOMERUS, CHBYSOPS, RAPHIORHYN- 

 cus. 



Gen. TABANUS, Lat. Lin. 



Sucker of six pieces, inclosed in a projecting bilabiated and mem- 

 branous rostrum, upon which are two conical palpi ; anten- 

 nae scarcely longer than the head, of three pieces, of which 

 the last is elongated, thick, and crescent-shaped inferiorly, su- 

 bulate at the end, and in five rings ; head almost entirely oc- 

 cupied by the eyes, which are banded or spotted ; three small 

 ocelli ; wings horizontal, distant, triangular ; abdomen coni- 

 cal ; tarsi with three strong tufts. 



The insects of this genus resemble a large fly, and are dreaded by horses and 

 black cattle during summer. They are very voracious and greedy of blood. They 

 fly with rapidity, making a humming noise, when the weather is warm and the sun 

 shines, and settle on the backs of cattle. It is the female alone, however, that is 

 conceived to have this avidity for blood, the male being said to draw his nourishment 

 from the honied juice of flowers. 



