﻿247 
  

  

  FURTHER 
  NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  BIONOMICS 
  OF 
  TABANUS 
  DITAENIATUS, 
  

  

  MACQ., 
  AND 
  TABANUS 
  TAENIOLA, 
  P. 
  DE 
  B. 
  

  

  By 
  Harold 
  H. 
  King, 
  F.L.S., 
  F.E.S. 
  

  

  (Government 
  Entomologist, 
  Anglo-Egyptian 
  Sudan; 
  Wellcome 
  

   Tropical 
  Research 
  Laboratories 
  , 
  Khartoum.) 
  

  

  (Plate 
  XXVI.) 
  

  

  In 
  1909, 
  the 
  writer 
  collected 
  egg-masses 
  of 
  the 
  seroot 
  Tabanus 
  taeniola, 
  P. 
  de 
  B., 
  

   and 
  reared 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  resulting 
  larvae 
  to 
  approaching 
  maturity, 
  but 
  failed 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   the 
  pupa. 
  The 
  following 
  year 
  he 
  took 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  immature 
  larvae 
  of 
  Tabanus 
  

   ditaeniatus, 
  Macq., 
  and 
  reared 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  adult 
  stage. 
  The 
  various 
  stages 
  in 
  the 
  

   life-cycles 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  Tabanids, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  pupa 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  and 
  

   the 
  egg-mass 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  species, 
  were 
  figured 
  and 
  described 
  in 
  this 
  Bulletin.* 
  

   The 
  puparium 
  of 
  T. 
  taeniola 
  and 
  egg-masses 
  of 
  T. 
  ditaeniatus 
  which 
  are 
  here 
  figured 
  

   and 
  described 
  were 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1913. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  taeniola, 
  P. 
  de 
  B. 
  

  

  A 
  nearly 
  mature 
  larva 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  wet 
  soil 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  Khor 
  

   Barboy, 
  near 
  Tonga, 
  on 
  the 
  White 
  Nile, 
  on 
  20th 
  June. 
  It 
  fed 
  readily 
  on 
  earthworms 
  

   till 
  about 
  25th 
  July, 
  when 
  it 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  mature. 
  On 
  8th 
  August 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  

   have 
  pupated 
  ; 
  the 
  eyes 
  were 
  coloured, 
  but 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  pupa 
  was 
  yellowish- 
  

   white. 
  Later, 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  other 
  appendages 
  darkened, 
  and 
  finally 
  the 
  abdominal 
  

   markings 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  could 
  be 
  distinguished. 
  An 
  adult 
  male 
  emerged 
  on 
  19th 
  

   August. 
  

  

  Pupa 
  (Plate 
  xxvi. 
  figs. 
  3-5). 
  — 
  Length, 
  21 
  mm. 
  Colour 
  yellowish, 
  thoracic 
  tubercles 
  

   and 
  abdominal 
  spiracles 
  tinged 
  with 
  brown, 
  the 
  former 
  bearing 
  hairs. 
  On 
  the 
  posterior 
  

   third 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  to 
  the 
  seventh 
  abdominal 
  segments, 
  inclusive, 
  is 
  a 
  ring 
  of 
  

   backwardly 
  projecting 
  spines, 
  shortest 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  segment 
  and 
  longest 
  on 
  the 
  

   seventh, 
  the 
  spines 
  yellowish, 
  the 
  ridge 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  arise 
  chestnut-brown. 
  

   The 
  eighth 
  segment 
  terminates 
  in 
  a 
  coronet 
  of 
  six 
  teeth, 
  chestnut-brown 
  in 
  colour, 
  

   darker 
  at 
  the 
  tips, 
  approximately 
  equal 
  in 
  size, 
  arranged 
  in 
  a 
  circle, 
  the 
  lateral 
  

   teeth 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  dorsal 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  ventral 
  teeth. 
  Ventrally 
  placed 
  to 
  this 
  coronet 
  

   is 
  a 
  transverse 
  row 
  of 
  tiny 
  teeth 
  and 
  dorso-laterally 
  situated 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  is 
  a 
  comb 
  

   of 
  five 
  teeth, 
  the 
  central 
  ones 
  being 
  the 
  longest 
  and 
  slightly 
  longer 
  than 
  those 
  on 
  

   the 
  ventral 
  row. 
  

  

  Tabanus 
  ditaeniatus, 
  Macq. 
  

  

  The 
  egg-masses 
  (Plate 
  xxvi, 
  figs. 
  1, 
  2) 
  of 
  this 
  Tabanid 
  were 
  plentiful 
  on 
  grass 
  growing 
  

   in 
  rain 
  pools 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Khor 
  Barboy 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Khor 
  Felus 
  

   and 
  the 
  Sobat 
  River. 
  In 
  shape 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  variable, 
  some 
  being 
  long 
  and 
  narrow, 
  

   others 
  short 
  and 
  broad. 
  Of 
  the 
  specimens 
  collected 
  the 
  longest 
  measured 
  20*5 
  mm. 
  

   by 
  3 
  mm. 
  and 
  the 
  shortest 
  8'5 
  mm. 
  by 
  4 
  mm. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  not 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  

   secretion 
  as 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  T. 
  biguttatus, 
  Wied. 
  When 
  freshly 
  deposited 
  the 
  egg-mass 
  

   is 
  probably 
  white 
  to 
  yellowish-white 
  in 
  colour, 
  but 
  all 
  those 
  taken 
  varied 
  from 
  

   fight 
  to 
  dark 
  brown. 
  

  

  *Bull. 
  Ent. 
  Res., 
  i, 
  p. 
  102, 
  and 
  i, 
  pp. 
  265-268. 
  

   (C86) 
  d2 
  

  

  