﻿275 
  

  

  NEW 
  AND 
  LITTLE-KNOWN 
  MESOPOTAMIAN 
  BLOOD-SUCKING 
  

   DIPTERA 
  (FAMILIES 
  SIMULIIDAE 
  AND 
  TABANIDAE). 
  

  

  By 
  Major 
  E. 
  E. 
  Austen, 
  D.S.O. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  paper 
  published 
  some 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  years 
  ago 
  

   by 
  Major 
  Patton, 
  which, 
  however, 
  deals 
  only 
  with 
  Tabanidae,* 
  little 
  or 
  nothing 
  has 
  

   hitherto 
  appeared 
  in 
  print 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  Mesopotamian 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   families 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  title 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  contribution. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  hoped 
  

   that 
  the 
  following 
  notes, 
  however 
  incomplete, 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  some 
  slight 
  assistance 
  to 
  

   collectors 
  of 
  blood-sucking 
  flies 
  who 
  may 
  be 
  stationed 
  in 
  Mesopotamia, 
  and 
  may 
  at 
  

   the 
  same 
  time 
  stimulate 
  them 
  to 
  further 
  efforts. 
  

  

  The 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  described 
  or 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  pages 
  was 
  collected 
  

   either 
  by 
  Major 
  A. 
  D. 
  Fraser, 
  D.S.O., 
  M.C., 
  R.A.M.C. 
  ; 
  Major 
  J. 
  E. 
  M. 
  Boyd, 
  M.C., 
  

   R.A.M.C. 
  ; 
  or 
  Mr. 
  P. 
  A. 
  Buxton 
  ; 
  but 
  all 
  specimens 
  available 
  to 
  the 
  writer 
  for 
  

   examination 
  have 
  been 
  noticed. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  in 
  question, 
  including 
  types 
  of 
  new 
  species, 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  

   British 
  Museum 
  (Natural 
  History). 
  

  

  Family 
  Simuliidae. 
  

  

  Genus 
  Simulium, 
  Latreille. 
  

  

  Simulium 
  bipunctatum, 
  sp. 
  n. 
  (fig. 
  1). 
  

  

  2.- 
  — 
  Length 
  (11 
  specimens), 
  1-75 
  to 
  just 
  under 
  2 
  mm. 
  

  

  Ground 
  colour 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  thorax 
  olive-grey^ 
  or 
  deep 
  olive-grey 
  ; 
  head, 
  dorsum 
  of 
  

   thorax 
  and 
  entire 
  surface 
  of 
  abdomen 
  clothed 
  with 
  closely 
  set, 
  appressed, 
  shining, 
  silvery 
  

   or 
  yellowish-silvery 
  hairs, 
  making 
  a 
  light 
  background 
  with 
  which 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  deep 
  black 
  

   bare 
  spots 
  {shallow 
  circular 
  depressions) 
  on 
  dorsum 
  of 
  thorax 
  close 
  to 
  its 
  anterior 
  margin 
  

   forms 
  a 
  sharp 
  contrast 
  ; 
  legs 
  cinnamon-buff 
  or 
  ochraceous-buff, 
  front 
  tarsi 
  {except 
  

   extreme 
  base 
  of 
  first 
  segment) 
  and 
  tips 
  of 
  hind 
  tibiae 
  blackish 
  brown, 
  tips 
  of 
  middle 
  and 
  

   hind 
  tarsi 
  and 
  also 
  those 
  of 
  front 
  and 
  middle 
  tibiae, 
  at 
  least 
  on 
  extensor 
  surfaces, 
  dark 
  

   brown 
  or 
  brownish, 
  hind 
  femora 
  incompletely 
  banded 
  with 
  brown 
  shortly 
  before 
  their 
  

   distal 
  extremities. 
  

  

  Head 
  : 
  front 
  in 
  2 
  rather 
  broad 
  (measured 
  on 
  margin 
  of 
  vertex 
  about 
  as 
  broad 
  as 
  

   long), 
  but 
  narrowing 
  rapidly 
  from 
  above 
  downwards 
  ; 
  palpi, 
  blackish 
  brown, 
  sparsely 
  

   clothed 
  with 
  pale 
  hairs 
  ; 
  antennae, 
  dark 
  brown, 
  second 
  and 
  two 
  following 
  segments 
  

   ochraceous-tawny, 
  dark 
  brown 
  portion 
  clothed 
  with 
  microscopic, 
  appressed, 
  yellowish 
  

   hairs. 
  Thorax 
  : 
  dorsum 
  when 
  denuded 
  or 
  partially 
  denuded 
  exhibiting 
  an 
  incomplete, 
  

   impressed, 
  lyrate 
  mark, 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  seen 
  on 
  thorax 
  of 
  5. 
  equinum, 
  L., 
  2, 
  and 
  

   consisting 
  of 
  a 
  narrow, 
  median, 
  longitudinal 
  straight 
  line, 
  and 
  a 
  curved 
  arm, 
  some- 
  

   what 
  broader 
  posteriorly 
  and 
  not 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  median 
  line 
  either 
  behind 
  or 
  in 
  

   front, 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  ; 
  median 
  line 
  of 
  lyrate 
  mark, 
  when 
  completely 
  developed, 
  extending 
  

   from 
  anterior 
  margin 
  of 
  thorax 
  to 
  pre-scutellar 
  depression 
  ; 
  lateral 
  arms, 
  which 
  are 
  

   sometimes 
  brownish 
  olive 
  posteriorly, 
  terminating 
  abruptly 
  behind, 
  a 
  little 
  in 
  front 
  

   of 
  level 
  of 
  costal 
  border 
  of 
  wings, 
  and 
  anteriorly 
  each 
  ending 
  in 
  inner 
  margin 
  of 
  

   corresponding 
  black 
  spots 
  ; 
  scutellum 
  fringed 
  posteriorly 
  and 
  laterally 
  with 
  relatively 
  

  

  * 
  Cf. 
  Patton, 
  " 
  Some 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Arthropods 
  of 
  Medical 
  and 
  Veterinary 
  Importance 
  in 
  

   Mesopotamia, 
  and 
  on 
  their 
  Relation 
  to 
  Disease. 
  — 
  Part 
  I. 
  The 
  Gad 
  Flies 
  of 
  Mesopotamia 
  " 
  : 
  

   Ind. 
  Journ. 
  Med. 
  Res., 
  Calcutta, 
  vii, 
  no. 
  4, 
  pp. 
  735-750, 
  pi. 
  lxvii, 
  text-figs. 
  1 
  and 
  2, 
  April 
  1920. 
  

  

  f 
  For 
  names 
  and 
  illustrations 
  of 
  colours 
  used 
  for 
  descriptive 
  purposes 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  paper, 
  

   see 
  Ridgway, 
  "Color 
  Standards 
  and 
  Color 
  Nomenclature" 
  (Washington, 
  D.C. 
  Published 
  by 
  

   the 
  Author, 
  1912). 
  

  

  