[Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, 33 (N.S.), 1921]. 



Art. I. — New Australian Tabanidw, with Notes on 

 Previously Described Species. 



By E. W. FERGUSON, M.B., Ch.M. 



(With Plates I., II., and 4 Text Figures.) 



[Read 12th March, 1920.] 



The material on which this paper is 'founded is derived from 

 several sources : A number of the new species are from a collec- 

 tion of Tabanidae forwarded to me from the National Museum,. 

 Melbourne, for identification ; others are from Mr. Hardy's collec- 

 tion, mainly Tasmanian, but including a few Western Australian 

 forms ; the remainder are from the collection of the Department 

 of Public Health, New South Wales. 



It was hoped when the paper was undertaken to have revised 

 the whole of the species comprised in the hairy-eyed group of 

 Tabanus, but the completion of this work would probably delay 

 this paper unnecessarily, and it seems better that the descriptions 

 of the new species should be published as soon as possible. 



Most of the material under study being from the Southern por- 

 tion of Australia, types that I regard as of Antarctic origin pre- 

 dominate. To my mind our Australian Tabanid fauna has been 

 derived from two sources — (1) Malayan, from which come species 

 belonging to Corizoncura, Silvius and Tabanus (excluding the 

 hairy-eyed group) ; (2) Antarctic, from which source have prob- 

 ably been derived our Southern Tabanid fauna, including the 

 genera Diatomineura, Erephopsis, Pelecorrhynchus and the hairy- 

 eyed group of Tabanus (Therioplectes). 



The distinction between Diatomineura and Erephopsis is by no 

 means constant, the two genera are merely separated on the point 

 of distinction involved in the opening or closure of the first pos- 

 terior cell. In many species of Erephopsis in which the cell is 

 usually closed examples are readily found in which it is open. 

 On the other hand this cell may be closed in individuals belonging 

 to many species of Diatomineura, in which the cell is habitually 

 open. 



I am indebted to Miss Phyllis F. Clarke for the illustrations 

 that accompany this paper. 



