Horse Fly - Hybomitra difficilis

Just moved some images

to this difficilis page. Legs of these are pale and not dark as in your specimen. Face pattern looks similar, although yours is darker. Not sure if your's and the Strickland's specimen are the same species. Not saying your ID is incorrect or whether my ID is correct for the Strickland's specimen. Perhaps I can get John Burger to have a look.

… A.W. Thomas, 18 April, 2007 - 4:55pm

Hybomitra difficilis

The specimen is very dark, but that may be the lighting. The only possibility for West Virginia with the features I can see would be Hybomitra difficilis.

… JBurger, 19 April, 2007 - 12:34pm

Dark

Yes, this was a dark picture overall and that may be affecting the fly's appearance.

John, Tony, Thanks for your help!

… Stephen_WV, 19 April, 2007 - 2:50pm

Stephen

Would be nice if you could capture 1 or more specimens, pin them and send them to John or me for a closer look. Possibility, but remote, that this is an undescribed species.

… A.W. Thomas, 19 April, 2007 - 2:55pm

Moved

Moved from Hybomitra.

… A.W. Thomas, 22 August, 2006 - 5:59pm

Moved

Moved from Striped Horse Fly.

… Stephen_WV, 22 August, 2006 - 6:30am

Hi Stephen

Checked my library and found a great publication on W.Va tabanids, hope you will be able to get a copy:
Drees, B.M., L. Butler, and L.L. Pechuman. 1980. Horse Flies and Deer Flies of West Virginia: An illustrated key (Diptera, Tabanidae). Bulletin 674, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506. 67 pp.
Not sure where Bastian Drees is, but Linda Butler was still at WV University a few years back.
You tabanid keys to Hybomitra difficilis. Will move it; a new species for the Guide.

… A.W. Thomas, 22 August, 2006 - 5:59pm

Great source

Looks like a great resource, thanks, Tony!

… Stephen_WV, 23 August, 2006 - 4:00am

Not lineola

lineola has 2 wide green/blue eye bands and several other characters on the head that differ from your tabanid as seen here:

very similar to here (this one is not lineola but has identical eye pattern):

Your tabanid is a female Hybomitra, difficult to tell species from just this one head shot but the bare subcallus (shiny patch immediately above antennae) limits it to just a couple of species

… A.W. Thomas, 22 August, 2006 - 6:25am

Thank-you

Tony, Thanks very much for the ID of this Horse Fly! I am moving it to Hybomitra.

… Stephen_WV, 22 August, 2006 - 6:31am

I will remove "Striped" from the title as striped refers to species in the Tabanus lineola complex and leaving it with this image could cause confusion.

… A.W. Thomas, 22 August, 2006 - 6:37am