Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Tabanus

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 24-06-2006 14:04
#1

Moscow region, 23 june.
Small Tabanidae, 12-14mm, obviosly less than H. bimaculata. It act another way than H. bimaulata: do not fly to and fro, but attack immidetly (I have to lose some blood to make photo). Of course, collected afterwords without any pity:D
I didn't find any 3-d eye, so I think it is small Tabanus. "Middle and low face spots" (sorry, don't know English terms) connected. Eye bare with one strip only - Tabanus maculicornis/bromius. Difficult to choise without flies to compare. I'd vote for T. maculicornis.
Where is Theo?
Nikita

Posted by Susan R Walter on 24-06-2006 23:59
#2

Hmm - tricky - Stubbs says maculornis rather small and dark with very narrow alula and extensively orange antennae (females have some darkening on the antennae). Female abdominal pattern similar to T autumnalis. For T bromius he says females typically have orange flanks. Both of them seem to have the midway single eye stripe. T maculornis is apparently a much darker beast than T bromius. At only 10-12mm, T bromius is slightly smaller than T maculornis, and your specimen is more the size of T maculornis. I vote T maculornis too.

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 25-06-2006 09:17
#3

Thank you Susan.
I also chechek my fly with "British Soldierflies and..." According this key it is Tabanus maculicornis with few doubts.
Nikita