I 0 2 BRI T I SH BLOOD- SUCKlNCx F L I E S
Ca r d i g a n s h i r e in J u l y , 1916, Mr . C. L . Wa l t o n s t a t e s tha t " all kinds of f a rm
s t ock, inc l u ding she ep a r e severely a t t a c k e d " by this fly. Zel ler (1842, p. 815)
wrot e of this spe c i e s tha t it " ming l e s wi th T. bovimis on the wing , but is s ome -
wh a t les s c ommo n . . . " a n d a d d e d : " P r o b a b l y it is the ma l e s of this
spe c i e s tha t on hot f o r eno ons a r e s e en po i s ed for a l ong t ime in the ai r over
the t ops of pine s a p l i n g s a n d ful ly g r own t rees , and then, a f t e r s u d d e n l y d a r t i n g
f o rwa r d l ike a r rows , onc e mo r e hove r a p p a r e n t l y mot ionl e s s for a s imi l a r
pe r iod in ano the r s p o t . " In Au s t r i a , a c c o r d i n g to B r a u e r (1880, p. 185) :
" Be f o r e sunr i s e the ma l e s hove r and swa rm in the ai r a b o v e the hi ghe s t mo unt
a in tops , e.g. the Do b r a t s c h (on the author i ty of Bu c hmu l l e r ) a n d Ho h e n
Zi n k e n ( a s s t a t ed by F r a u e n f e l d ) ; they a l so sit on f enc e s in the s u n d u r i n g the
mo r n i n g a f t e r eme r g i n g f r om the p u p a ; the f ema l e s a re f o u n d on the l e a v e s
c f s h r u b s a n d on c a t t l e . "
Tabanus bovinus Linnaeus
(Fi g . 37)
Thi s , the tvpe spe c i e s of the g e n u s Tabanus, ha s be en the subj e c t of mu c h
c onfus i on, and if the conc lus ions of Col l in (1932, p. 38) a re to be a c c e p t e d, v e r y
f ew of the r e cords , even of Ve r r a l l , a re t rus twor thy. In vi ew of this one d o u b t s
the v a l u e of Go f f e ' s s u g g e s t i o n (1931, p. 72) tha t " col lector s who t a k e the spe c i e s
would g r e a t l v a s s i s t our k n owl e d g e of its di s t r ibut ion if they would publ i sh
thei r c a p t u r e s , " e spe c i a l ly a s no re l i abl e me tho d of s e p a r a t i n g the f ema l e s of
FIG. 37.—T. bovinus Linn. Head.
bovinus a n d verralli ha s yet be en g iven, e x c e p t the e x ami n a t i o n of l ong
ser ies of both, or po s s ibl y by di s s e c t i on. *
T h e ma l e , of cour s e , should be re adi ly r e c o gni s a bl e by the uni f o rm f a c e t ing
of the eyes . A s a l r e a dy not ed, the pr e v a i l ing eye- colour in bovinus is s ome
* Goffe (1935, p- 102) gives the fol lowing di f f e r enc e s : " C omp a r e d with T. perplexus
Verrall the spec imen [T. bovinus] has the s ides of the first two abdomina l s e gment s a uni form
and paler brown, paler legs, pa ler s q u ama e , palpi almos t devoid of bl a ck hairs, and the third
antenna l s e gment black except at the ext reme base, whilst when viewed obliquely from behind
the lower ma r g ins of the abdomina l s e gment s do not ' s t and out ' a s they do in T perplexus."
B R A C H Y C E R A—T A B A N I D A E 103
s h a d e of g r e en, a n d one ma y r epe a t Col l in' s r ema r k (1932, p. 38) tha t " one
should on no a c c o unt fai l to c a t ch a n d pin a n y of the s e l a r g e r N ew F o r e s t
T a b a n i d s h a v i n g g r e en, or c o p p e r y - g r e en, ins t e ad of c o p p e r y - b r own e y e s . "
F o u r of the five s p e c imens in the Mu s e um a r e unf o r t una t e l y wi thout d a t e s
of c a p t ur e , the fifth r e a d i n g me r e ly " New F o r e s t , 6/68." K r o b e r (1925, p. 108)
g i v e s J u n e and J u l y for the o c cur r enc e of this spe c i e s .
B r a u e r (1880, p. 187) wr i tes of T. bovinus in A u s t r i a : " T h e f ema l e s
swa rm r ound hor s e s , cat t le, a n d deer . T h e ma l e s hove r in the ai r in c l e a r ing s
in wo o ds , a n d a b o v e s omewh a t e l eva t ed p l a c e s in me a d ows , bu t not ove r
mo unt a in- t o p s , e spe c i a l ly on sul t ry, thunde r y d a y s in the sun a f t e r d own p o u r s
of ra in, or e a r ly in the mo r n i n g . "
Tabanus verralli, nom. nov
( r . sudeticus var. perplexus Verrall.)*
(Fi g . 38 and Plate 29)
De s c r i b e d by Ve r r a l l hims e l f , a n d r e g a r d e d by Go f f e (1931, P- 7S) a n d Cont i -
nent a l a u tho r s a s a va r i e ty of sudeticus Zel ler , T. verralli is in a p p e a r a n c e
c losely s imi l a r to bovinus L i n n . , a n d in the opinion of Go f f e a n d Co l lm h a s
of t en a p p e a r e d in r e c o rds a s bovinus. In f a c t the l a t e Ma j o r Au s t e n (mant i -
s c r ipt not e s ) de c ided tha t " c a r e ful e x ami n a t i o n of s p e c ime n s of Ve r r a l l ' s
' v a r . ? perplexus ' de t e rmine d by the l a t e Mr . Ve r r a l l hims e l f shows tha t thi s
FIG. 38.—R. verralli Oldr. Flead.
s u p p o s e d va r i e ty of T. sudeticus rea l ly b e l o n g s to T. bovinus L . , a n d do e s not
even differ f r om the no rma l f o rm of tha t spe c i e s suf f i c ient ly to wa r r a n t the
retent ion of the v a r i e t a l n ame . "
T h e f ema l e s of verralli and bovinus a r e only to be s e p a r a t e d wi th di f f i cul ty
( see footnot e to T. bovinus) s inc e the di f f e renc e s in s h a p e of the f r ont a l c a l l u s
a r e f r e quent l y o b s c u r e d by a b r a s i o n of the s u r r o u n d i n g pi le. T h e ma l e of
* Sec note, p. 113.
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