1 (5 E. IT. Ferguson : 



S. nigripennis, though Uie coloration of the wings is exactly as. 

 in that species. 



Type in National Museum, Melbourne. 



SUB-FAMILY TABANINAE. 



Tabanus. 



Group XI. — TheHoplectes. Eyes Hairy. 



Tabanus circumdatus, Walker. 



List, Dipt. I., p. 185 (1848); Ricardo, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 

 (8), XVI., p. 280 (1915). 



Synonyms : T. nepos, Walk., T. abstersus, Walk., T. breviden- 

 tatus, Macq., T. hebes, Walk. 



Considerable confusion still exists between the three allied 

 species, T. circumdatus, Walk., T. antecedens, Walk., and T. eden- 

 tulus, Macq. As the result of the study of a considerable amount 

 of material from Tasmania and the southern portion of Aus- 

 tralia, I had hoped to be in a position to state definitely what 

 were to be regarded as the differential features separating them. 

 For various reasons, it appears desirable to postpone a detailed 

 discussion of this question, and I have limited my remarks to a. 

 purely preliminary note on each species. 



The chief difficulty confronting any worker on this difficult 

 group (Therioplectes) is the variability of some of the species. 

 In this respect, T. circumdatus is extremely difficult to define ;. 

 ai present I regard it as distinct from T. edentuhis, but many- 

 forms occur which might with almost equal justice be referred 

 to either species, or in some instances justify their erection into 

 distinct species. 



In Tasmania occur three closely allied forms, one certainly 

 T. circumdatus, another identified by White as T. edentulus,. 

 and apparently always distinguishable from T. circumdatus by 

 the noticeably different antennae, and the third a larger species 

 provisionally identified as T. acutipalpis, Macq. T. antecedens is 

 readily distinguished from all three and appears to be restricted, 

 as far as my observations go, to Tasmania. 



On the mainland occur variable forms of both T. circumdatus 

 and T. edentulus, some of which tend to link up the two species. 



Miss Ricardo, besides giving the above synonymy, notes the 

 possible synonymy of T. edentulus, T. acutipalpis, and T. frater- 

 culus, Macq., with T. circumdatus. I have no knowledge of 

 T . frcterculus, Macq. 



