﻿NEW 
  AND 
  LITTLE-KNOWN 
  MESOPOTAMIAN 
  BLOOD-SUCKING 
  DIPTERA. 
  

  

  287 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  (?) 
  laetetinctus, 
  Beck. 
  

  

  One 
  $, 
  north-east 
  of 
  Baghdad, 
  between 
  Ba'qubah 
  and 
  Kizil 
  Robat, 
  v. 
  1921 
  

   (Major 
  A. 
  D. 
  Fraser). 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  minor 
  discrepancies 
  or 
  uncertainties 
  (e.g., 
  lower 
  frontal 
  callus 
  not 
  

   " 
  almost 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  eye-margins 
  " 
  ; 
  distal 
  segment 
  of 
  palpi, 
  which 
  is 
  clothed 
  on 
  

   outer 
  surface 
  with 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  minute 
  black 
  and 
  appressed 
  whitish 
  hairs, 
  not 
  

   " 
  suddenly 
  " 
  attenuate 
  beyond 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  front 
  tarsi, 
  and 
  middle 
  and 
  hind 
  tarsi 
  

   except 
  at 
  base, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  mummy-brown), 
  the 
  specimen 
  referred 
  to 
  above 
  may 
  quite 
  

   possibly 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  described 
  by 
  Becker 
  (Ann. 
  Mus. 
  Zool. 
  Acad. 
  Imp. 
  Sc. 
  

   St. 
  Petersb., 
  xvii 
  (1912), 
  p. 
  595, 
  1913) 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  Tabanus 
  laetetinctus, 
  the 
  typical 
  

   series 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  Persia 
  (Persian 
  Baluchistan 
  and 
  Seistan). 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  that 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  Tabanus 
  terminalis, 
  Walk, 
  (obtained 
  in 
  Sinai 
  

   about 
  1870, 
  by 
  the 
  late/. 
  K. 
  Lord) 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Collection. 
  

   This 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  the 
  Walkerian 
  species 
  may 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  relegated 
  to 
  the 
  limbo 
  of 
  

   unrecognisable 
  forms. 
  Becker 
  (loc. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  596), 
  evidently 
  relying 
  only 
  on 
  Walker's 
  

   description, 
  states 
  that 
  T. 
  laetetinctus 
  shows 
  much 
  resemblance 
  to 
  T. 
  terminalis, 
  

   Walk., 
  and 
  that, 
  had 
  Walker 
  spoken 
  of 
  two 
  frontal 
  calli 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  callus, 
  he 
  

   would 
  have 
  regarded 
  the 
  former 
  as 
  identical 
  with 
  the 
  latter. 
  Be 
  this 
  as 
  it 
  may, 
  Major 
  

   Fraser's 
  specimen 
  has 
  cream-buff 
  or 
  pinkish-buff 
  halteres, 
  whereas 
  according 
  to 
  Walker 
  

   the 
  halteres 
  of 
  T. 
  terminalis 
  are 
  " 
  piceous 
  at 
  the 
  tips 
  " 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  

   T. 
  laetetinctus 
  halteres 
  are 
  not 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  leleani, 
  Austen. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  leleani, 
  Austen, 
  Bull. 
  Ent. 
  Res., 
  x, 
  pt. 
  3, 
  p. 
  312, 
  figs. 
  13, 
  14 
  (April 
  1920). 
  

  

  One 
  (J. 
  Ramadi, 
  R. 
  Euphrates, 
  viii.1920 
  (Major 
  A. 
  D. 
  Fraser) 
  ; 
  seven 
  $£, 
  

   twelve 
  $9. 
  Hinaidi, 
  near 
  Baghdad, 
  iii.1922, 
  " 
  caught 
  at 
  midday 
  or 
  dusk 
  on 
  walls 
  

   and 
  window-ledges 
  of 
  donor's 
  Mess 
  " 
  (Major 
  J. 
  E. 
  M. 
  Boyd). 
  

  

  This 
  species, 
  the 
  typical 
  series 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  in 
  Palestine, 
  

   is 
  widely 
  distributed, 
  since, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  (Natural 
  

   History), 
  its 
  range 
  extends 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  from 
  Algeria, 
  along 
  both 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Medi- 
  

   terranean, 
  to 
  the 
  Kangra 
  Valley, 
  Punjab. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  added, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  ? 
  

   from 
  Nasiryeh, 
  R. 
  Euphrates, 
  April-June 
  1916 
  (Major 
  W. 
  S. 
  Patton), 
  formerly 
  (Bull. 
  

   Ent. 
  Res., 
  loc. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  314) 
  attributed 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  to 
  T. 
  leleani, 
  appears 
  on 
  further 
  

   consideration 
  to 
  belong 
  rather 
  to 
  T. 
  pulverifer, 
  Walk., 
  under 
  which 
  heading 
  it 
  is 
  

   accordingly 
  considered 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  paper. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  leleani, 
  Austen, 
  and 
  T. 
  pulverifer, 
  Walk., 
  are 
  in 
  fact 
  very 
  closely 
  allied 
  

   species, 
  which 
  may 
  easily 
  be 
  confused, 
  expecially 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  formulate 
  

   any 
  really 
  satisfactory 
  distinctions 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  front 
  and 
  frontal 
  calli 
  in 
  the 
  $. 
  An 
  

   attempt 
  to 
  show 
  mutually 
  distinctive 
  characters, 
  in 
  parallel 
  columns, 
  is 
  made 
  below. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  leleani, 
  Austen. 
  

  

  Larger 
  species, 
  usually 
  with 
  somewhat 
  

   broader 
  abdomen 
  in 
  the 
  $ 
  ; 
  general 
  coloration 
  

   of 
  bod}'' 
  mouse-grey 
  or 
  blackish 
  mouse-grey, 
  

   often 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  paler 
  longi- 
  

   tudinal 
  stripes 
  on 
  dorsum 
  of 
  thorax 
  ; 
  wings 
  

   without 
  (occasionally 
  with 
  merest 
  vestige 
  of) 
  

   an 
  appendix 
  to 
  anterior 
  branch 
  of 
  third 
  vein 
  ; 
  

   femora 
  neutral 
  grey 
  pollinose. 
  

  

  (J. 
  — 
  Small-faceted 
  hind 
  border 
  of 
  eye 
  of 
  

   uniform 
  width 
  throughout, 
  and 
  everywhere 
  

   sharply 
  marked 
  off 
  from 
  large-faceted 
  area, 
  

   latter 
  near 
  its 
  outermost 
  extremity 
  not 
  ap- 
  

   proaching 
  closer 
  than 
  elsewhere 
  to 
  hind 
  margin 
  

   of 
  eye 
  ; 
  hair 
  fringing 
  upper 
  margin 
  of 
  occiput 
  

   of 
  moderate 
  length. 
  

  

  (8053) 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  pulverifer, 
  Walk. 
  

  

  Usually 
  smaller 
  and 
  (at 
  least 
  in 
  case 
  of 
  $) 
  

   generally 
  more 
  slender 
  species 
  ; 
  general 
  color- 
  

   ation 
  of 
  body 
  smoke-grey 
  or 
  light 
  greyish- 
  

   olive, 
  paler 
  longitudinal 
  stripes 
  on 
  dorsum 
  of 
  

   thorax 
  usually 
  conspicuous 
  ; 
  wings 
  normally 
  

   with 
  a 
  well-developed 
  or 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  distinct 
  

   appendix 
  to 
  anterior 
  branch 
  of 
  third 
  vein 
  ; 
  

   femora, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  part, 
  usually 
  light 
  drab, 
  or 
  

   drab-grey. 
  

  

  (J. 
  — 
  Small-faceted 
  hind 
  border 
  of 
  eye 
  not 
  

   quite 
  of 
  uniform 
  width 
  throughout, 
  but 
  

   somewhat 
  narrower 
  than 
  elsewhere 
  near 
  outer 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  large-faceted 
  area, 
  where 
  latter 
  

   is 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  sharply 
  marked 
  off 
  

   from 
  hind 
  border 
  ; 
  hair 
  fringing 
  upper 
  margin 
  

   of 
  occiput 
  very 
  short. 
  

  

  u 
  

  

  