272 Miss G. Ricardo on 



deyrolhi, 27 mm., the type of wliicli is apparently lost. This 

 species is distinguishe'd from Tabanus biguttatus, Wied., by its 

 larger size and red tibife. 



Head large, wider than the thorax. Face brown, with 

 yellowish-brown tomentum and ratlier thick black pubescence; 

 beard blackish. Palpi yellow, but very thickly covered with 

 black pubescence on the outside, on the inner side they are 

 yellow, nearly bare of pubescence. Antennae black, the 

 second joint reddish ; the first joint stout, covered with black 

 pubescence, the second with some black hairs ; the third long, 

 slender, the tooth very near the base. The subcallus is the 

 same colour as the face, bare. Forehead blackish, densely 

 covered with yellowish tomentum, about five times as 

 long as it is broad ; the frontal callus brown, oblong, not 

 reaching the eyes, the line usually proceeding from the callus 

 is here separated from it and indistinct. The thorax is black, 

 shining, with red colour sometimes showing through, the 

 sides with grey tomentum and black hairs ; the breast brown 

 with black pubescence; the scutellum similar to the thorax; 

 the squamae dark brown. Abdomen long, black, covered 

 witli bluish-grey tomentum, devoid of pubescence, the sides 

 with black hairs, thickest on the first segment and at the 

 apex ; the under^'^ide black with some black pubescence. 

 Legs black with red tibise ; the fore tibioe black at the apex, 

 the middle tibia? and the first joint of the tarsi wholly red, 

 the posterior tibia? black at the extreme apex; the pubescence 

 on the red tibiEe black, thickest on the posterior tibiae ; on the 

 underside of these last is some red pubescence, on the under- 

 side of the posterior tarsi bright red pubescence. Wings 

 dark rich brown, becoming paler at the apex and on the hind 

 border, the centres of the second basal, the discal, and anal 

 cells hyaline, veins and stigma brown ; all the posterior cells 

 widely open. 



Tabanus obscurissimus, sp. n. 



One female from Lokkoh Creek, Sierra Leone, April 1904 

 {Major F. Smith) , 1004^. 143; one female from the Congo, 

 1900. 120; one female from Libreville, Gaboon (presented 

 by Dr. A. L. Bennett), 99. 134, with note "Draws blood 

 from man and beast"; one female from Wassau Territory, 

 Gold Coast {Br. S. H. Jones), 1901. 81. 



This dull mahogany-coloured species, with a narrow abdo- 

 men and brownish wings, is distinguished from T. testacei- 

 ventris, Macq., and T. gabonensis, Macq., by the black hairs 

 on the face, the black beard, and the bright red third joint 



