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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Orthorrhapha" (Brachycera excluding Aschiza and Schizophora) » Tabanomorpha » Horse and Deer Flies (Tabanidae) » Horse Flies (Tabaninae) » Tabanus » Tabanus americanus
Photo#11765
American Horse Fly - Tabanus americanus - female
Copyright © 1981 Tony Thomas

American Horse Fly - Tabanus americanus - Female
Charleston County, South Carolina, USA
May 19, 1981
Tabanus americanus. Not one of my best (taken 24 years ago), but shows shape of antennae, palps and eye pattern (or lack of) that are useful for identification purposes. Tabanids are flying now in Florida and will be out next month in Georgia. Lots and lots of images still needed for BugGuide.
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Contributed by Tony Thomas on 22 February, 2005 - 5:54am
Last updated 28 February, 2006 - 11:59am

Cool photo
Is that on skin? Is that the blade-like mouthpart hanging in the middle? Don't these horseflies cut you open and drink your blood?
… Lynette Schimming, 22 February, 2005 - 4:38pm login or register to post comments

 
posed tabanid
Yes it's on skin but the insect is posed. The actual cutting mouthparts are in sheaths within the black sucking tube, once they are deployed and cut the skin the sucking tube "sucks-up" the blood.
… Tony Thomas, 22 February, 2005 - 4:46pm login or register to post comments

 
Holy cow!
Great photo and scary.
Carla Finley
Venice, FL
http://community.webshots.com/user/CarlaFinley
… Carla Finley, 28 February, 2006 - 4:14am login or register to post comments

 
I posted this
in an attempt to encourage users to post photos of tabanids, or at least show an interest in this group. "Holy cow" constitutes an interest by my reckoning. Hoping you will post some tabanid pictures; they are flying in FL now! Before BG, there were hardly any tabanid photos anywhere.
T. americanus, is easily 1" long
… Tony Thomas, 28 February, 2006 - 11:58am login or register to post comments

 
So far,
all I've seen here are big blue, mettalic flies. I'm always on the look-out for "any" type of insect so will certainly get photos if I see them.
Carla Finley
Venice, FL
http://community.webshots.com/user/CarlaFinley
… Carla Finley, 28 February, 2006 - 12:04pm login or register to post comments

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