C. W. Johnson.
On the Variation of Tabanus atratus Fabricius.
Psyche 26(6):163-165, 1919.

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19191 Johnson-Variation of Tabanus atratus Fabricius 163 yellowish, the other veins hardly discernible; apical branch of the subcosta lacking; radial area open also at the distal end. Length: 3.0-3.5 nim.
Range.
South Africa: Salisbury, 5050 ft. (F. L. Snow coll.). Types.
1 female and 1 male cotype in the collection of the Kansas State Museum; and 1 male cotype in the author's collection. One of the male specimens is marked as collected in June, 1900; the other male and the female in Dec. 1900. In Das TIerreich, in
Dalla Torre and Kieffer's key the species would run down to A. coriacea from which it is distinct in having all parts of the thorax black and the legs uniformly rufous-brown. The genus has not
heretofore been known from Africa south of the north coast. ON THE VARIATION OF TABAN US ATRATUS
FABRICIUS.
BY CHARLES W. JOHNSON,
Boston Society of Natural History.
This species, in its distribution along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida, is subject to considerable variation, which fact was referred to by Osten Sacken in his Prodrome (Memoirs Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 11). On page 455 he says: "Northern speci-
mens, for instance those found around Boston, often have the wings pale brown, even yellowish brown toward the posterior margin." Professor Hine in describing this form as T. nuntuclcensis from Nan- tucket, seems to have overlooked this reference, for he says: "There is reason to believe that this insect has become isolated on the Island for it has not been taken elsewhere so far as I can find." Tabanus atratus var. nantuckensis Hine
Tabanus nuntuckensis Hine, Ohio Jour. Sci., p. 271, 1917. At most this is only a variety of T. atratus, apparently confined to the New England coast.
Its "smaller size" does not count, for
I have typical T. atratus as small as nuntuckensis (20 mm.). This
leaves for consideration only the color of the wings-dark brown with the posterior half or more, yellowish brown, as a distinguishing character, which in a large series from along the coast merges into



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164 Psyche [December
typical atratus. The series before me referable to nantuckensis show the following distribution :
N. H. Rochester, Sept. 8 (A. M. Wilcox). MASS.
Boston, July 10 (H. M. Parshley); Cohasset, July 24 (Owen Bryant); New Bedford and Horse Neck Beach, Aug. 9 (Dr. G deN. Hough) ; N. Tisbury, July 21 (Dr. J. A. Cush- man); Tuckerneck, July 21 (Dr. G. M. Allen); Muskeget, July 7 (W. S. Brooks); Hyannisport, July 4, Woods Hole, July 25, and Wellfleet, Aug. 16 (C. W. Johnson). R. I.
Block Island, Aug. 28, 1891 (A. P. Morse). In this same region, typical atratus has been taken at the follow- ing places: Brookline, Auburndale, Sherborn, Framingham, Fal- mouth, Chatham and Woods Hole, Mass.
Tabanus atratus var. fulvopilosus var. nov. This is another interesting variety which Osten Sacken refers to as follows :
"The most remarkable variety, however, I received from Florida (Indian River, E. Palmer; Haulover Beach, March 12-14, Messrs. Hubbard and Schwarz); the thorax on each side bears a fringe of golden yellow hairs, not a trace of which is visible in ordinary specimens. I have four specimens from Florida, and two from some other southern locality not nearer defined, which show this peculiarity."
Fine examples of this variety were collected by Mr. S. E. Cas- sin0 at Orlando, Fla., in April, and by the writer on Anastasia Island, St. Augustine, Fla., April 21,1919. I also collected a speci- men at Avalon, N. J., July 19, 1891. Another specimen was cap- tured at Cold Spring, near Cape May, N. J., June 24, 1903, by Mr. H. L. Viereck. The specimens from New Jersey have wings of a uniform dark brown approaching nantuckensis. A specimen of nantuckensis (from Nantucket) shows a slight trace of yellow pile above the base of the wings and lower edges of the post-alar callosities.
Another interesting variation of the more typical -atratus, repre- sented by two males and a female from Anastasia Island, Fla., April 1'2-19, has the black of the wings confined to broad margins along the veins, leaving subhyaline spaces between, giving the wings a striped appearance. A male of nantuckensis from Muske- get is similarly marked on the anterior half of the wings.



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