Horse Fly (Male)

Description:

IDd before as Tabanus striatus Fabricius, 1787. Tabanus striatus, which has been incriminated as a vector of trypanosomosis, known locally as surra, an important disease of horses and cattle in oriental regions, showed that 3 species have been confused under that name: the true Tabanus striatus from Pakistan through India and Sri Lanka to China; Tabanus partitus Walker, 1856, in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Micronesia; and Tabanus triceps Thunberg, from Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. Males are easily identified through their large eyes touching in the middle of the face. The biting, bloodsucking Tabanidae are known as Horse Flies, Breeze Flies, Clegs or Clags, Deer Flies, Gadflies, Zimbs, or Bull Dog Flies (in some areas in Canada). Two well-known genera are the common horse flies, genus Tabanus Linnaeus, 1758, and the deer flies, genus Chrysops Meigen, 1802 are also known as banded horse flies because of their coloring. Females of genus Tabanus have scissor-like mouthparts that aim to cut the skin. The horsefly can then lap up the blood. Horseflies of this genus are known to be potential vectors of anthrax, worms and trypanosomes.

Habitat:

Backyard, spotted on the ceiling of the garage.

Notes:

Reference: Old classification: http://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph:9000/shares/find... http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/... Revised classification: http://biostor.org/reference/75638 http://tabanidae.lifedesks.org/node/176 Compare with Tabanus melanocerus: http://bugguide.net/node/view/132582/bgi...