Tabanid
Guides
Agkistrocerus finitimus
Agkistrocerus finitimus is a species of horse fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Stone in 1938. It is a member of the diverse dipteran family known for blood-feeding females and aquatic or semi-aquatic larval development. The genus Agkistrocerus is relatively poorly documented in the scientific literature.
Chlorotabanus crepuscularis
Green Horse Fly
Chlorotabanus crepuscularis is the only green tabanid horse fly in North America. It is a blood-feeding species active primarily at night, with females using carbon dioxide sensing to locate mammalian hosts. The species has been recorded from Texas to Delaware, with peak adult activity in Florida occurring from May to mid-July. Larvae are predaceous and develop in moist soil and aquatic edge habitats.
Chrysops cincticornis
Ring-clawed Deer Fly
Chrysops cincticornis is a deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Walker in 1848. It is commonly known as the Ring-clawed Deer Fly. The species has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States, with 291 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Research on this species has focused on its oviposition behavior and fecundity, with laboratory studies showing females deposit eggs in gelatinous masses on mud substrates near water, averaging 156 eggs per female.
deer-flyTabanidaeDipteramedical-entomologyovipositionfecundityring-clawed-deer-flyVermontUnited-Statesmud-substrategelatinous-egg-massChrysopsinaeChrysopsiniWalker-1848iNaturalistlaboratory-rearingegg-mass156-eggsrange-42-312near-watermud-like-substrateegg-depositionreproductionbehavioral-studymedical-entomology-researchinsect-vectorsbiting-fliestabanid-flieshorse-fliesdeer-fliesChrysopsNorth-AmericaNew-Englandobservation-recordssynonym-status-in-Catalogue-of-Lifeaccepted-status-in-GBIFarthropodinsectflyBrachyceraTabanomorphaHexapodaPterygotaAnimaliaArthropodaInsectacincticornisChrysops-cincticornis-Walker-1848Chrysops-(Chrysops)-cincticornisdeerflyhorseflytabanidbiting-flyvectoroviposition-behaviorfecundity-studyJournal-of-Medical-Entomology198210.1093/jmedent/19.5.597gelatinous-secretionmudwaterlaboratory-conditionsmean-fecundityegg-productionreproductive-biologyentomologyinsect-behaviorinsect-reproductiondipterantrue-flytwo-winged-flynematoceranCyclorrhaphaAschizaSchizophoraAcalyptrataeCalyptrataeOestroideaMuscoideaHippoboscoideaGlossinidaeCalliphoridaeSarcophagidaeMuscidaeFanniidaeAnthomyiidaeScathophagidaeOestridaeTachinidaeSiphonapteraPhthirapteraHemipteraColeopteraLepidopteraHymenopteraNeuropteraMegalopteraRaphidiopteraTrichopteraStrepsipteraMecopteraDipluraProturaCollembolaZygentomaArchaeognathaEphemeropteraOdonataPlecopteraGrylloblattodeaMantophasmatodeaPhasmatodeaOrthopteraDermapteraEmbiopteraZorapteraIsopteraBlattodeaMantodeaPhyllodocidaNotopteraWalker1848speciestaxongelatinoushabitatdistributionGBIFCatalogue-of-LifeNCBIlaboratory-studybehaviorlife-cyclesubstratemud-likemeanrange42-312femaleobservationrecordspecimencollectionmuseumresearchstudyarticleabstractDOIbiologyecologyhorse-flyacceptedsynonymtaxonomyclassificationUS291-observationslaboratory291-iNaturalist-observationsGBIF-distribution-recordsaccepted-species-statussynonym-in-Catalogue-of-Life156-eggs-mean-fecundityrange-42-312-eggs1982-Journal-of-Medical-Entomology-publicationDOI-10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597entomology-researchdipteran-biologyHamatabanus floridensis
Hamatabanus floridensis is a species of horse fly in the family Tabanidae. The genus Hamatabanus is a small group within the tabanid flies, and this species appears to be associated with Florida based on its specific epithet. Like other horse flies, adults are likely to be blood-feeders, though specific details about this species remain poorly documented in accessible literature.
Hybomitra cincta
Hybomitra cincta is a species of horse fly in the family Tabanidae. It is distributed across Canada and the United States, with records from Vermont and other regions. As a member of the horse fly genus Hybomitra, it shares the family's characteristic blood-feeding behavior by females and the robust, agile flying morphology typical of tabanids.
Hybomitra lanifera
Hybomitra lanifera is a species of horse fly in the family Tabanidae, described by McDunnough in 1922. Like other members of the genus Hybomitra, it is a fast-flying dipteran. The genus is notable for containing some of the fastest flying insects known, with congener Hybomitra hinei recorded at 89 miles per hour. Information specific to H. lanifera remains limited in published sources.
Poeciloderas quadripunctatus
Poeciloderas quadripunctatus is a species of horse fly in the family Tabanidae. The species is distributed from Mexico to Argentina, with numerous records across Brazil. Like other tabanids, it belongs to a family of biting flies known for their blood-feeding behavior.
Tabanus americanus
American Horse Fly
Tabanus americanus, the American horse fly, is a large horse fly species in the family Tabanidae. It is notable as potentially the world's largest horse fly, with body lengths reaching up to 30 mm. The species occurs in Canada and the United States, where adults are active in open pasture areas near livestock and water sources. Females require blood meals for egg development and are significant biting pests of cattle and other large mammals.
Tabanus gracilis
Tabanus gracilis is a species of horse fly in the family Tabanidae, described by Wiedemann in 1828. The species name "gracilis" (Latin for slender or graceful) suggests a relatively slender body form compared to other Tabanus species. Like other horse flies, females are presumed to be blood-feeders on mammals, while males feed on nectar and pollen. The species is poorly documented in modern literature, with minimal specific biological or ecological information available beyond taxonomic records.
Tabanus petiolatus
petiolate horse fly
Tabanus petiolatus is a species of horse fly in the family Tabanidae, characterized by distinctive sexually dimorphic eye coloration. Males possess a dark brown streak across the light-colored upper lenses of their compound eyes, while females have uniformly dark brown eyes. The species occurs in the United States and is frequently confused with Tabanus melanocerus and Tabanus trimaculatus.
Tabanus sparus milleri
A subspecies of horse fly in the family Tabanidae, described by Whitney in 1914. As a member of the genus Tabanus, it shares the characteristic large size and biting mouthparts typical of horse flies. The subspecies designation indicates geographic or morphological variation within the broader Tabanus sparus species complex.