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A student of forensic archaeology asked me to post these photos to illustrate a phenomenon that she discovered while doing experiments with Wild Boar corpses. As well as the usual muscids and calliphorids she repeatedly saw tabanids appearing to drink body fluids from the bodies. Has this ever been spotted before and can anyone identify the genus or species?

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another tabanid...

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Top - Heptatoma pellucens. Bottom - Hybomitra micans.
Libor

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Wow - thanks Libor - that was much more than I expected from these rather poor photos. :)

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Must have been a very fresh kill, if it attracked Tabanidae
(or an investigator with CO2 tube on the background)


Yes, I know this phenomenon from NL as well, as far as Muscidae, Calliphoridae and even Tachinidae are concerned.


Theo

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OK, I will get back to the photographer (Olga Retka) and ask her how fresh the corpses were. She was monitoring her own version of a 'body farm' and studying how the bodies decay, which sounds like a shocking waste of good pork to me! ;)

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Chris, if you are interested in the whole assemblage on the corpses, you can collect Anisopodidae and send me them ;)
Libor

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While doing Calliphorid trapping in Malaysian mangroves several female Tabanus entered my traps. The traps were baited with rotten fish entrails, which correspond with the decay stage. Mangroves are rather poor in terms vertebrate hosts, so I assumed they were trying to supplement their diet with decomposing liquids.

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Hello Chris! The corps-feeding in Tabanidae is well known phenomenon, at least it's role in the mechanical transmission of tularemia and antrax. For those who interested I can recommend to search in the old soviet scientific papers (but I'm afraid the knowledge of russian language is prerequisite for doing so :P, although some english abstracts could be found across the web, e.g. http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19432700638.html;jsessionid=C29BCCBF025A5AFC7BB774046F1D0077 ).
In short, this issue is reviewed in the Olsufjev's fundamental work- Olsufjev, N.G. - 1977- Horse flies. Family Tabanidae. -In Fauna SSSR. - Zoological Institut, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Insecta, Diptera New Series, No.113, Vol.7, part 2, 436 pp. [In Russian].
By the way, nice photos! It's very nice and important to have such an illustrations.

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Hi Sergiy

I think I qualify: I can read Russian (though with difficulty) and I have a copy of Olsufjev 1977 (the reason I read Russian !). It would be a great help if you could point out the relevant pages in Olsufjev 1977


Spasibo.


Theo

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T.G. Goh

Is this material still avaiable ? Would be great to have a look at it !
If so, give me a P.M.


Theo

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Hi Theo! It's great to know that you read Russian :) I have sent you a PM.