﻿CONTRIBUTION 
  TO 
  KNOWLEDGE 
  OF 
  TABANIDAE 
  OF 
  PALESTINE. 
  279 
  

  

  nr. 
  Tel 
  el 
  Fara, 
  14.ix.1917, 
  biting 
  author 
  ; 
  1$, 
  Wadi 
  Ghuzze, 
  nr. 
  El 
  Shellal, 
  19.ix. 
  

   1917; 
  12, 
  Wadi 
  Ghuzze, 
  nr. 
  Tel 
  el 
  Fara, 
  28.ix.1917, 
  biting 
  author's 
  arm; 
  l<$, 
  

   Wadi 
  Sukkereir, 
  10 
  miles 
  S. 
  of 
  Jaffa, 
  13.iv.1918, 
  <$<$ 
  alone 
  seen; 
  1$, 
  Jericho 
  

   Plain, 
  nr. 
  Kasr 
  el 
  Hajlah, 
  28.V.1918 
  ; 
  1 
  2, 
  Latron, 
  18.vi.1918, 
  biting 
  author's 
  hand 
  ; 
  

   1 
  9, 
  left 
  bank 
  of 
  R. 
  Auja, 
  nr. 
  Sheikh 
  Muannis, 
  5 
  miles 
  N. 
  of 
  Jaffa, 
  29.vii.1918, 
  

   biting 
  author's 
  arm 
  ; 
  1 
  $, 
  Wadi 
  Ishkar, 
  R. 
  Auja, 
  nr. 
  Ferekkiyeh, 
  8.viii.l918 
  ; 
  

   15, 
  Wadi 
  Barideh, 
  nr. 
  Sarona, 
  21.viii.1918, 
  biting 
  author's 
  hand; 
  1 
  ?, 
  same 
  

   locality, 
  2.ix.l918, 
  biting 
  author's 
  arm; 
  2J? 
  (one 
  biting 
  author's 
  arm), 
  marshes 
  

   bordering 
  R. 
  Kishon, 
  nr. 
  Haifa, 
  2.x. 
  1918. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  foregoing, 
  the 
  

   Museum 
  already 
  possesses 
  a 
  5 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  ' 
  ' 
  papyrus 
  marsh 
  above 
  

   Baheiret 
  el 
  Huleh 
  (Waters 
  of 
  Merom), 
  Upper 
  Jordan 
  Valley, 
  20.vii.1901 
  " 
  (the 
  

   late 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  Cropper), 
  with 
  the 
  collector's 
  field-note 
  " 
  only 
  amongst 
  papyrus." 
  

  

  In 
  Chrysops 
  punctifera 
  the 
  sexual 
  colour-dimorphism, 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  striking 
  a 
  

   feature 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  palaearctic 
  representatives 
  of 
  its 
  genus, 
  

   is 
  especially 
  pronounced, 
  and 
  at 
  first 
  sight 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  

   predominantly 
  ochreous 
  or 
  olive-ochreous* 
  female, 
  with 
  its 
  brown-banded 
  wings, 
  

   can 
  possibly 
  be 
  conspecific 
  with 
  the 
  mainly 
  black 
  and 
  largely 
  black- 
  winged 
  male. 
  

   This 
  exceedingly 
  aggressive 
  and 
  bloodthirsty 
  fly 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  generally 
  

   distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  country, 
  and 
  to 
  occur 
  wherever 
  the 
  necessary 
  

   conditions 
  for 
  breeding 
  exist. 
  In 
  July 
  1917, 
  females 
  were 
  seen 
  busily 
  ovipositing 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  Head 
  of 
  Chrysops 
  'punctifera, 
  Lw., 
  *$, 
  

   in 
  profile, 
  showing 
  eye-markings. 
  X 
  about 
  14. 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  Wadi 
  Ghuzze. 
  The 
  elongate 
  eggs, 
  which 
  are 
  white 
  when 
  newly 
  laid 
  and 
  

   subsequently 
  become 
  opalescent 
  brownish, 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  countless 
  myriads, 
  

   closely 
  packed 
  in 
  sheets, 
  on 
  leaves 
  of 
  reeds 
  overhanging 
  pools 
  of 
  slowly 
  flowing 
  

   or 
  stagnant 
  water. 
  The 
  female 
  of 
  Ch. 
  punctifera, 
  wherever 
  and 
  whenever 
  

   encountered, 
  seems 
  almost 
  always 
  ready 
  to 
  bite 
  both 
  man 
  and 
  domestic 
  animals, 
  

   and, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  author's 
  personal 
  experience 
  goes, 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  more 
  aggressive 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  Tabanid 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  Palestine. 
  

  

  * 
  For 
  names 
  and 
  illustrations 
  of 
  colours 
  used 
  for 
  descriptive 
  purposes 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  

   paper, 
  see 
  Kidgway, 
  " 
  Color 
  Standards 
  and 
  Color 
  Nomenclature 
  " 
  (Washington, 
  D. 
  C. 
  

   Published 
  by 
  the 
  Author. 
  1912). 
  

  

  