﻿276 
  

  

  MAJOR 
  E. 
  E. 
  AUSTEN. 
  

  

  long 
  and 
  fine, 
  erect, 
  whitish 
  hair. 
  Abdomen 
  : 
  fringe 
  of 
  hair 
  on 
  first 
  tergite 
  (abdominal 
  

   scale) 
  whitish 
  or 
  silvery, 
  fairly 
  long 
  at 
  sides 
  ; 
  ground-colour 
  of 
  abdomen 
  (normally 
  

   completely 
  concealed 
  by 
  the 
  hairy 
  covering) 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  legs, 
  second 
  and 
  at 
  

   least 
  two 
  following 
  tergites 
  each 
  with 
  a 
  large, 
  blackish, 
  median 
  blotch. 
  Wings 
  

   normal. 
  Halteres 
  ivory-yellow 
  or 
  cream-buff. 
  Legs 
  : 
  first 
  segment 
  of 
  front 
  tarsi 
  

   not 
  expanded, 
  in 
  length 
  about 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  three 
  following 
  segments 
  taken 
  together 
  ; 
  

   first 
  segment 
  of 
  hind 
  tarsi 
  not 
  expanded, 
  last 
  four 
  segments 
  of 
  hind 
  tarsi 
  together 
  

   equal 
  to 
  about 
  three-fifths 
  of 
  first 
  segment 
  in 
  length, 
  second 
  segment 
  only 
  about 
  

   one-fourth 
  longer 
  than 
  third, 
  but 
  without 
  any 
  noticeable 
  dorsal 
  excision 
  ; 
  all 
  claws 
  

   long 
  and 
  slender, 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  tooth, 
  about 
  half 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  claw, 
  

   at 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  hairy 
  covering 
  of 
  legs 
  similar 
  in 
  coloration 
  and 
  character 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  body. 
  

  

  ?"e:rzi—> 
  

  

  Head 
  and 
  thorax 
  of 
  Simulium 
  bipunctatum, 
  

   Austen, 
  § 
  (hairy 
  covering 
  omitted). 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  

  

  N.B. 
  — 
  Basal 
  segment 
  of 
  antennae 
  should 
  be 
  shaded. 
  

  

  Mesopotamia, 
  precise 
  locality 
  unknown 
  ; 
  additional 
  specimens 
  from 
  Daurah, 
  

   R. 
  Tigris. 
  Holotype 
  and 
  six 
  paratypes, 
  precise 
  locality 
  unknown, 
  1921 
  (Major 
  

   A. 
  D. 
  Fraser) 
  ; 
  four 
  other 
  paratypes, 
  Daurah 
  (five 
  miles 
  below 
  Baghdad), 
  May- 
  June, 
  

   1920, 
  " 
  fairly 
  common 
  soon 
  after 
  sunrise 
  " 
  (Major 
  A. 
  D. 
  Fraser). 
  

  

  Although 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  general 
  appearance 
  the 
  species 
  just 
  described 
  is 
  not 
  unlike 
  

   the 
  Nilotic 
  S. 
  griseicollis 
  , 
  Becker, 
  of 
  Upper 
  Egypt 
  and 
  the 
  Egyptian 
  Sudan, 
  the 
  

   remarkable 
  thoracic 
  spots 
  (fig. 
  1) 
  at 
  once 
  distinguish 
  Simulium 
  bipunctatum, 
  at 
  

   least 
  in 
  the 
  female 
  sex, 
  not 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  species 
  mentioned, 
  but 
  also, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   writer 
  is 
  aware, 
  from 
  any 
  of 
  its 
  congeners 
  at 
  present 
  known.* 
  

  

  * 
  What 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  variety 
  or 
  local. 
  race 
  of 
  5. 
  bipunctatum 
  occurring 
  in 
  Palestine 
  is 
  

   represented 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Collection 
  by 
  a 
  solitary^, 
  which 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  in 
  having 
  

   the 
  legs 
  much 
  more 
  extensively 
  infuscated 
  ; 
  inter 
  alia 
  the 
  front 
  femora, 
  except 
  their 
  extreme 
  

   tips, 
  are 
  deep 
  mouse-grey, 
  the 
  hind 
  femora 
  are 
  broadly 
  banded 
  with 
  dark 
  brown 
  before 
  their 
  

   distal 
  extremities, 
  and 
  the 
  front 
  and 
  hind 
  tibiae, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  their 
  dark 
  tips, 
  are 
  each 
  banded 
  

   with 
  dark 
  brown 
  just 
  beyond 
  the 
  base. 
  Apart 
  from 
  the 
  details 
  mentioned, 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  notice- 
  

   able 
  differences 
  from 
  the 
  typical 
  form. 
  The 
  type 
  of 
  this 
  variety, 
  which, 
  in 
  honour 
  of 
  its 
  discoverer, 
  

   may 
  be 
  termed 
  Simulium 
  bipunctatum 
  var. 
  buxtoni, 
  var. 
  n., 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  Jericho, 
  l.i.1922 
  (P. 
  A. 
  

   Buxton), 
  and 
  subsequently 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  by 
  the 
  Imperial 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology. 
  

  

  