42 F. W. EDWARDS. — ON THE BRITISH SPECIES OF SIMULIUM. 



Syjionymy. — The male genitalia bear a rather close resemblance to Lundstrom's 

 S. lyra and S. annulus, but the agreement is not complete, and as he stated that he 

 could detect no external difference between his species and S. latipes, I think it best 

 to regard our species as previously undescribed. Examples of Lundstrom's species 

 kindly given me by Dr. Frey unfortunately both lacked the hind tarsi, which, 

 apart from the genitaha, carry the most important specific distinctions. 



13. Simulium hirtipes, Fries, (figs. 1, 4, 5, 6). 



Length, 3-4-5 mm. 



Male. — Thorax dull blackish, the mesonotum clothed rather densely with coarse 

 yellowish pubescence ; long yellow hair on the scutellum and the posterior part of 

 the mesonotum. Abdomen dull black, with long dark hair on the basal segment and 

 on the venter, short yellowish hair on the tergites. Genitalia (fig. 1 , o) : the claspers differ 

 from those of all the other British species in having two short spines at the tip (one 

 clasper in the specimen figured was abnormal in having three such spines). Legs 

 uniformly dark, the femora and tibiae clothed with yellowish hair, which on the hind 

 legs is very long and dense ; hair on tarsi darker. Joints of front tarsi cylindrical, 

 but the metatarsus not so long as in S. latipes. Hind metatarsi (fig. 4, i) very much 

 thickened, in diameter about equal to the tibiae ; only a very indistinct projection 

 on the inner side at the tip. Second hind tarsal joint (fig. 6, b) simple, no sign of basal 

 excision or emargination. Wings {fig. 5, b) with a slight brownish tinge, the radial 

 sector forked, and a minute " basal cell " present (these two characters, like those 

 of the hind tarsi, differentiating S. hirtipes from all the others in the British fauna). 

 Halteres black. 



Female. — Head, thorax and abdomen dull blackish-grey, with pale yellowish 

 pubescence. Legs entirely dark ; yellowish pubescence, but few or no long hairs, 

 on the femora and tibiae ; hind tibiae and metatarsi, especially the latter, much 

 more slender than in the male ; second hind tarsal joint as in the male. Claws simple, 

 resembHng those of S. reptans. Wings as in the male. Halteres dark brown. 



Time of appearance. — May to July. 



Distribution. — Another purely northern species, of which I have the following 

 records : — Scotland : Blairgowrie and Dunkeld, Perth {Ct., Y.) ; Aviemore, Ballin- 

 dalloch and Nethy Bridge, Inverness {G., K., L., Y.) : Braemar, Aberdeen (F.) ; 

 Dingwall and Loch Maree, Cromarty {K.) ; Loch Assynt, Sutherland (Y.). 



Habits. — Colonel Yerbury (quoted by Austen, British Blood-sucking Flies) has 

 observed the blood-sucking habits of this species at Dunkeld. 



Synonyyny. — There is little to remark, except that although Fries' figure does not 

 show the forked radius, the species is without doubt correctly identified. A specimen 

 exists in Stephens' collection with the manuscript name picipes. 



