﻿NEW 
  AND 
  LITTLE-KNOWN 
  MESOPOTAMIAN 
  BLOOD-SUCKING 
  DIPTERA. 
  289 
  

  

  as 
  follows 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  series 
  collected 
  at 
  Daurah, 
  23.V.1920 
  : 
  " 
  Up 
  to 
  23.V.1920 
  

   I 
  had 
  seen 
  no 
  Tabanidae. 
  These 
  specimens 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  plantation 
  at 
  

   Daurah, 
  about 
  300 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  R. 
  Tigris. 
  The 
  two 
  sexes 
  were 
  present 
  in 
  about 
  

   equal 
  numbers, 
  and 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  flies 
  were 
  sitting 
  on 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  orange 
  

   trees 
  ; 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  that 
  from 
  ten 
  to 
  fifteen 
  

   specimens 
  could 
  be 
  collected 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  sweep 
  of 
  the 
  net.* 
  There 
  was 
  only 
  an 
  

   occasional 
  fly 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  near 
  mid-day, 
  and 
  quite 
  hot." 
  

  

  T. 
  regularis, 
  Jaenn. 
  (of 
  which 
  the 
  2 
  sex 
  alone 
  has 
  been 
  described), 
  besides 
  being 
  

   found 
  in 
  South 
  Europe, 
  was 
  met 
  with 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  writer 
  in 
  Palestine 
  (Jordan 
  

   Valley)f, 
  an 
  d 
  nas 
  been 
  recorded 
  by 
  Beckert 
  as 
  occurring 
  in 
  Persian 
  Baluchistan. 
  

  

  The^ 
  of 
  T. 
  regularis, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  series 
  available 
  for 
  examination, 
  varies 
  in 
  length 
  

   from 
  12-2 
  to 
  14-5 
  mm. 
  (the 
  corresponding 
  dimensions 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  $ 
  being 
  12 
  

   and 
  15 
  mm. 
  respectively), 
  in 
  the 
  dried 
  condition, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  presents 
  a 
  certain 
  

   superficial 
  resemblance 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  T. 
  leleani, 
  Austen. 
  § 
  From 
  the 
  latter, 
  however, 
  

   T. 
  regularis 
  $ 
  is 
  distinguishable 
  by 
  the 
  greater 
  narrowness 
  of 
  its 
  posterior 
  orbits 
  in 
  

   the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  vertex, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  outer 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  

   enlarged 
  facets 
  in 
  each 
  eye 
  approaches 
  less 
  closely 
  to 
  the 
  hind 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  eye 
  

   itself 
  than 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  T. 
  leleani 
  <$. 
  While 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  the 
  upper 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   posterior 
  orbits 
  forms 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  pale 
  olive-grey 
  edging 
  to 
  the 
  eyes, 
  in 
  T. 
  regularis 
  

   3 
  the 
  corresponding 
  region 
  is 
  so 
  narrow 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  scarcely 
  noticeable. 
  The 
  fringe 
  of 
  

   hair, 
  too, 
  on 
  the 
  hind 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  posterior 
  orbits 
  in 
  T. 
  leleani 
  $, 
  although 
  

   short, 
  is 
  decidedly 
  longer 
  and 
  more 
  conspicuous 
  than 
  the 
  corresponding 
  fringe 
  in 
  

   T. 
  regularis 
  £. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  spectabilis, 
  Lw. 
  

  

  One 
  2> 
  Hinaidi 
  Cantonment, 
  near 
  Baghdad, 
  viii.1921 
  (Major 
  A. 
  D. 
  Fraser). 
  

  

  This 
  striking 
  and 
  somewhat 
  rare 
  species, 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  $ 
  found 
  by 
  its 
  

   author 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Belgrade, 
  has 
  hitherto 
  been 
  met 
  with 
  only 
  in 
  Southern 
  and 
  

   South-Eastern 
  Europe 
  and 
  North-Western 
  Asia 
  Minor. 
  Major 
  Fraser 
  's 
  specimen 
  

   appears 
  to 
  represent 
  a 
  variety, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  pale 
  longitudinal 
  stripes 
  on 
  the 
  dorsum 
  

   of 
  the 
  thorax 
  are 
  more 
  distinct 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  typical 
  form, 
  while 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  of 
  

   the 
  body 
  is 
  clothed 
  with 
  very 
  short, 
  appressed 
  hairs, 
  without 
  any 
  conspicuously 
  

   longer, 
  erect 
  hairs 
  on 
  the 
  area 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  transverse 
  suture. 
  The 
  uniformly 
  

   grey 
  venter 
  is 
  devoid 
  of 
  a 
  distinctly 
  marked 
  black 
  longitudinal 
  stripe, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   wing 
  the 
  first 
  posterior 
  cell 
  is 
  only 
  slightly 
  narrowed 
  at 
  the 
  tip. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  sp. 
  incert. 
  — 
  nov. 
  ? 
  

  

  One 
  2, 
  Baghdad, 
  1849-1852 
  (W. 
  K. 
  Loftus). 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  specimen 
  briefly 
  described 
  by 
  Walker 
  (List 
  Dipt. 
  Ins. 
  in 
  coll. 
  Brit. 
  

   Mus., 
  pt. 
  v, 
  Suppl. 
  i, 
  p. 
  238, 
  1854) 
  as 
  possibly 
  representing 
  the 
  $ 
  sex 
  of 
  T. 
  polygonns, 
  

   with 
  which, 
  however, 
  it 
  has 
  nothing 
  whatever 
  to 
  do. 
  In 
  size 
  and 
  general 
  fades 
  it 
  

   is 
  not 
  unlike 
  the 
  2 
  provisionally 
  assigned 
  to 
  T. 
  laetetinctus, 
  Beck, 
  (see 
  above), 
  from 
  

   which, 
  however, 
  it 
  differs, 
  inter 
  alia, 
  in 
  the 
  unusual 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  frontal 
  callus 
  

   being 
  situate 
  well 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  inner 
  angles 
  of 
  the 
  eyes 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  

   frontal 
  callus 
  being 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  entirely 
  unconnected 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   eyes 
  having 
  three 
  horizontal 
  bands 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  annulate 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  

  

  * 
  Cf. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Scott 
  Macfie's 
  note 
  (Bull. 
  Entom. 
  Res., 
  iii, 
  p. 
  223, 
  1912) 
  on 
  the 
  remarkable 
  

   occurrence 
  of 
  both 
  sexes 
  of 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  Tabaninae 
  on 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  a 
  " 
  Chedia 
  " 
  tree 
  at 
  

   Ilorin, 
  Northern 
  Nigeria. 
  In 
  this 
  case, 
  however, 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  was 
  apparently 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  a 
  scale-insect 
  (Ceroplastes 
  egbarum, 
  Ckll.), 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  tree 
  was 
  " 
  heavily 
  infested," 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  honey-dew-like 
  secretion 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  flies 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  feeding. 
  

  

  f 
  Cf. 
  Austen, 
  Bull. 
  Entom. 
  Res., 
  x, 
  p. 
  302 
  (1920). 
  

  

  I 
  Ann. 
  Mus. 
  Zool. 
  Acad. 
  Imp. 
  St. 
  Petersbourg, 
  xvii, 
  p. 
  596 
  (1912). 
  

  

  § 
  Cf. 
  Austen, 
  loc. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  312, 
  figs. 
  13, 
  14. 
  

  

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  u 
  2 
  

  

  