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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Tabanomorpha » Horse and Deer Flies (Tabanidae) » Deer Flies (Chrysopsinae)

Subfamily Chrysopsinae - Deer Flies

Classification · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Internet References · Works Cited
Fly - Chrysops vittatus - male Deer fly - Chrysops vittatus - female Chrysops macquarti Deer fly - Chrysops coloradensis Dipterid - Chrysops callidus deer fly with small clear wing windows - Chrysops - male Chrysops lateralis? - Chrysops montanus - female Deer fly - Chrysops - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Orthorrhapha)
Infraorder Tabanomorpha
Family Tabanidae (Horse and Deer Flies)
Subfamily Chrysopsinae (Deer Flies)
Numbers
~120 spp. in 4 genera (90% of spp. are in Chrysops) in our area, arranged into 2 tribes, Bouvieromyiini (Merycomyia, 2 spp.) and Chrysopsini (Silvius, 11 spp. in 4 subgenera; Chrysops, ~100 spp. in 2 subgenera; and Neochrysops, 1 sp.)(1)
Size
5-23 mm
Identification
Hind tibia (on legs) with apical spurs [cf. no spurs in Tabaninae]; 3rd segment of antenna (=flagellum) consisting of a long slender basal part (basal flagellomere) + 4 short apical flagellomeres [the other SF: Pangongiinae has flagellum divided into 7 or 8 flagellomeres].

Thus, a lateral view of the head to show antennae is most useful for identifying tabanids to subfamily
Range
Throughout NA
Habitat
Wetlands, including salt marshes.
Season
spring to fall
Food
Adults feed on plant nectar; females on vertebrate blood; larvae carnivorous and detritus feeders
Life Cycle
Larvae probably more than 1 year
Internet References
Tabanidae of Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains 1: Chrysopsinae and Pangoniinae. Keys to genera and species, maps, discussion...copiously illustrated with excellent images. This is a fastastic resource!
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
Contributed by A.W. Thomas on 14 February, 2005 - 8:29pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 12 August, 2012 - 3:37pm

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