Horse and Deer Flies (Tabanidae) - 260 Species, Identification & Facts

Anacimas limbellatus

Identification: Wing veins margined with brown, median callus of female broad and convex (Stone, 1938). Female being preyed upon:

Apatolestes actites

Identification: "A large, grayish black, shaggy, white-haired Apatolestes not likely to be confused with other Apatolestes ." (Middlekauff and Lane 1980) Females have reduced mandibles.

Atylotus calcar

Identification: Female: frons with glossy calli present; body not almost completely white; abdomen not broadly orange laterally; pale hairs of body white to creamy white; abdomen with large median and sublateral white-haired patches on each tergite;

Chrysops aestuans

Identification: Markings on thorax grayish yellow instead of bright yellow. Apical wing spot reduced to a narrow crescent along the wing margin. Useful key for Canadian Chrysops

Chrysops bishoppi

"In Oregon, C. bishoppi is a persistent biter that attacks livestock anywhere on the body but seldom attacks man." ( 3 )

Splayed Deerfly

Chrysops caecutiens

Length 8.5 to 10 mm. The females have a characteristic splayed v-shaped marking on tergite 2. Males have the abdomen almost entirely black, though tergite 2 is narrowly orange at its sides; the male mid tibiae are normally entirely black. It can occu

Chrysops carbonarius

Identification: Female: A black deer fly. Abdomen black but perhaps with an indefinite pattern of grayish pruinose areas. Area of wing beyond the crossband hyaline. Crossband relatively straight and reaching hind margin of wing. Wing cell cua1 with d

Chrysops celatus

Identification: Among similar species, thorax greenish-gray with fuscous stripes; outer margin of dark wing crossband usually sinuous

Chrysops cincticornis

Identification: Black species with bright orange hair on sides of thorax. With known pathogenic transmission of California encephalitis virus. This disease does affect humans.

Chrysops clavicornis

Identification: Within its range, distinguished by base of antennae swollen (probably the source of the species name), apical spot extending into cell r5, and basal callus not entirely black.

Chrysops divisus

Identification: The wing pattern, basal 2/3 infuscated (black) with the distal 1/3 hyaline (clear) and black body are diagnostic. serious pest of man in FL

Chrysops flavidus

described as pestiferous to humans, generally attacking the head and neck; considered one of the worst "stock pests" in the genus With known pathogenic transmission of Equine infectious anemia virus, a disease of only equid mammals.

Chrysops fuliginosus

Specimens collected away from the coast with patches of orange on the abdomen belong to an undescribed species. See Thomas et al. (2024).

Chrysops geminatus

Identification: " Chrysops geminatus is one of the smallest species of the genus and is also distinctive by the apical spot of the wing being moderately widened apically and almost separated from the crossband and usually by an inverted V-shaped blac

Chrysops hirsuticallus

Identification: Female: "Peculiar greenish-gray central California species with very reduced eye pattern in life; face and fron unusually hairy including sides of laterally attenuated frontal callosity; wing pattern unusual with strong halo along out

Chrysops indus

Identification: Orange face, apical spot filling half of cell r4, unstriped abdomen, and dark scutellum

Chrysops lateralis

Identification: Both basal cells mostly hyaline; apical spot expanded, nearly separated from crossband by hyaline triangle; abdomen with median yellow stripe; face without pruinose stripe. "Often abundant and pestiferous."

Chrysops montanus

Identification: Female abdominal pattern and size and shape of wing apical spot subject to considerable variation; possibility of a couple of sibling species (AWT). With known pathogenic transmission of Vesicular stomatitis virus, a pathogen of anima

Chrysops noctifer

Identification: "the only western [Canadian] deer fly having a dilute apical spot isolated from the wing crossband. Some specimens of the eastern species C. sordidus resemble C. noctifer but have a more dilute and restricted apical spot and the pigme

Twin-lobed Deerfly

Chrysops relictus

(c) Tatiana Strus, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Length 8 to 10.5 mm. A stoutly-built insect. The patterning may vary slightly but there are always black lobes on the second abdominal segment. There are other similar species and care needs to be taken with identification. It's preferred habitat is

Chrysops sordidus

"This is a northern species reaching its southern limit in northern Maine, northern Vermont, New Hampshire, the Adirondacks and Tug Hill Plateau in New York. It rarely is abundant enough to be considered a pest. This species is sometimes very abundan

Chrysops surdus

Identification: Distinguished from furcatus and proclivis by a smaller apical spot on wing. See Teskey for other characters.

Chrysops variegatus

Identification: A yellowish species. Discal cell with clear spot, apical band large with hyaline triangle approaching costa, basal cells mostly clear, thorax with three darker stripes, abdomen with pair of black stripes anteriorly, antennae long and

Chrysops vittatus

Identification: Yellow abdomen with 4 brownish stripes; a nearly fully infuscated cell Br, yellow scutellum, yellow frontal callus, and an infuscated cell CuA1 can be diagnostic. All these except for the abdominal pattern are also shared by C. florid

Black-horned Cleg

Haematopota crassicornis

The Haematopota genus is distinctive due to the mottled wings. H. crassicornis has a greyish abdomen and all-black antennae. H. pluvialis is the other common species in this genus and very similar though tends to have a brown rather than grey appeara

Haematopota rara

Identification: The dark halter knob, darker wing pattern, and range (northeastern USA and extreme southeastern Canada) distinguish this species from americana . The rare champlaini is also paler, but might overlap in range.

Hamatabanus carolinensis

Identification: Basal portion of third antennal segment with a prominent, forward projecting tooth reaching nearly to base of annulate portion. Eyes pilose. Brownish species. Stump vein on R4 absent. Eyes in life green with a narrow, diagonal purple

Hamatabanus exilipalpis

Identification: Dr. John Burger commented on this species (20 April 2007): Moved from Tabanus with some hesitation based on 1 - dorsal tooth of basal flagellomere (of antenna) is pronounced and has a slightly forward projection, although quite short.

Hairy-Legged Horsefly

Hybomitra bimaculata

A medium-large, highly variable horsefly with a body length of 13 to 16.5 mm. Both males and females possess long hair fringes on the anterior and posterior surfaces of the mid tibiae with males also having a posteroventral fringe along the length of

Hybomitra cincta

Identification: For both sexes: Subcallus denuded and shiny. Palpus black. Frontoclypeus and thoracic pleuron with black hairs. Wing distinctly pigmented. Females have first three segments of abdomen orange, rest of abdomen black (sharply delimited),

Hybomitra difficilis

Identification: Eyes apparently bare; subcallus denuded & shining Drees et al. regard it as common, and a serious pest; Pechuman et al. consider it generally uncommon, but sometimes locally abundant.

Hybomitra lasiophthalma

Identification: Female: subcallus denuded, shining; face below eyes not denuded or shining; wing crossveins spotted with brown; abdomen broadly orange brown laterally with median black area constricted on third segment.

Hybomitra sodalis

Identification: Black abdomen with white triangles in middle only, "distinctive and unmistakable"

Hybomitra trispila

With known pathogenic transmission of Vesicular stomatitis virus, a pathogen of animals that can also infect humans.

Merycomyia whitneyi

Identification: abdomen with large white patches laterally on at least tergites 4 and 5

Pegasomyia abaurea

Identification: Males of P. abaurea have light cuticle and blue eyes in life, unlike the dark cuticle and green eyes found in P. ruficornis.

Pegasomyia ruficornis

Identification: Males have black body (beneath pale hair) and yellow antennae. Females are very similar to abaureus with a slightly longer scape. Middlekauff and Lane warn, "females of ruficornis cannot be separated with certainty from those of abaur

Silvius gigantulus

Identification: Orange body, wings without spots or bands (but slightly darker along some veins), eyes with spots.

Tabanus abdominalis

Specimens of T. abdominalis have proved difficult to identify due mainly to the variation between individuals and the similarity to other variable species, particularly T. limbatinevris and T. sulcifrons but including T. gladiator and T. nefarius . O

Tabanus americanus

With known pathogenic transmission of Hog cholera virus, a disease that is only pathogenic to pigs and relatives and Anaplasma marginale , a bacteria that affects cattle.

Large Marsh Horsefly

Tabanus autumnalis

Wing length is 13 to 16 mm and 16 to 22 mm in body length. A fairly large horse-fly. The dark abdomen has a central row of pale triangles and a dark and broad central stripe on the underside. The eyes lack stripes. Tabanus bromius is similar but smal

Band-Eyed Brown Horsefly

Tabanus bromius

This species has a body length of a body length of 13 to15 mm. A number of similar, rarer species exist. It is easier to identify live females which have a single strongly-formed coloured eye band (lost in pinned specimens). The abdomen is usually pa

Tabanus calens

Identification: Abdomen uniformly dark or with small white patches, eyes uniformly dark, thorax faintly striped, antenna bright orange, wings uniformly brownish

Tabanus catenatus

Identification: eyes uniformly dark, dull, bare; antennae dark; wings translucent, blackish along heavy raised veins; thorax gray with reddish tint above, light gray and hairy below; abdomen very dark reddish with middorsal line of small but distinct

Tabanus erythraeus

Identification: Female: abdomen with both distinct median and dorsolateral pale markings or triangles, eyes not densely pilose and abdomen not distinctly pallid dorsally, abdomen with no impression of a stripe formed by median abdominal triangles, wi

Tabanus fuscopunctatus

Identification: Head: Frons parallel sided, about 3x as high as width at base; large triangular shiny patch at vertex; median callus shiny, relatively long; basal callus shiny brown, higher than wide and not touching eyes. Antennae: uniformly orange

Tabanus gladiator

Identification: Head: frons very narrow, about 6 times as high as width at base, parallel sided or slightly widened above. Antennae: dark reddish brown, basal portion of 3rd segment with prominent dorsal angle and deep incision. Palps: very long,dark

Tabanus gracilis

Identification: Females can be recognized by the brown color, abdominal pattern, wing veins faintly margined with brown, and the shape of the calli on the face. Females: eyes bare; abdomen with median and sublateral pale spots or triangles; abdomen w

Tabanus laticornis

In Burger's 1995 Catalog he lists Tabanus laticornis from Arizona and Hybomitra laticornis from Arizona. In a 1974 paper on Arizona tabanids he includes Hybomitra laticornis and in a 1975 paper on Arizona tabanids he does NOT include a Tabanus latico

Tabanus limbatinevris

Identification: For females see annotated photos: Since its description by Fabricius in 1805, specimens of T abdominalis have proved difficult to identify due mainly to the variation between individuals and the similarity to other variable species pa

Striped Horse Fly

Tabanus lineola

Identification: Females: pale median stripe on abdomen bordered by dark submedian stripes; eyes with 3 green bands; scutellum concolorous with thorax Males: body pattern similar to females; eyes bare (no hairs) with large upper facets sharply differe

Tabanus longiusculus

Identification: Females: abdomen dorsally with both median and sublateral pale spots or triangles, with a median row of triangles not forming a parallel-sided stripe; mesonotum not covered with golden-yellow hair and without longitudinal stripes; fro

Tabanus maculicornis

Length: 12 mm. A rather small, dark species with very narrow alula (flap at base of the wing) and orange antennae. The female has a pattern of grey triangles on the abdomen. Both sexes have one eye band. Like most tabanids , it prefers woodland or wo

Tabanus mixis

Identification: Burger 1995 (Catolog of Tabanidae (Diptera) of North America north of Mexico" lists Tabanus mixis and Tabanus molestus as distinct species; Zettel Nalen 2015, Florida concurs. T. mixis has been considered a subspecies of T. molestus (

Tabanus moderator

Identification: Abdomen only with median row of pale triangles, fork of vein R4+5 with infuscation, abdomen with contrasting pale median spots or triangles, median spot on tergite 2 distinctly smaller than those on tergites 3 and 4, scutellum with di

Tabanus molestus

Identification: Burger 1995 (Catolog of Tabanidae (Diptera) of North America north of Mexico" lists Tabanus mixis and Tabanus molestus as distinct species; Zettel Nalen 2015, Florida concurs. T. mixis has been considered a subspecies of T. molestus

Tabanus nefarius

A rarely collected species. Until the 2024 Florida record, known from only Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Greenhead

Tabanus nigrovittatus

Identification: "Brilliant green eyes with a single purple stripe and a restriction to Atlantic salt-marshes makes this species readily identifiable." common on East Coast salt marshes, "The bane of bathers" With known pathogenic transmission of Anap

Tabanus pallidescens

With known pathogenic transmission of Anaplasma marginale , a bacteria that affects cattle.

Western Horse Fly

Tabanus punctifer

Identification: Female: mesonotum covered with creamy hair over a dark reddish background: remainder of thorax dark brown, with concolorous hair: wings brown, paler posteriorly, the cross-veins and furcation distinctly margined with brown; legs black

Tabanus quinquevittatus

With known pathogenic transmission of Hog cholera virus, a disease that is only pathogenic to pigs and relatives; Trypanosoma evansi ; and Trypanosoma theileri .

Tabanus sagax

Identification: Females are distinguished from Tabanus sackeni by "the more prominent median pale abdominal stripe, slightly widened posteriorly in each segment, and the wider frons." Possibly crepuscular.

Tabanus stygius

Identification: When fresh the FEMALES are essentially black with contrasting white hairs on the thorax: However, these white hairs wear and rub off with age and the thorax looks a dirty gray. MALES "can scarcely be distinguished from that of nigresc

Tabanus sulcifrons

Identification: Tabanus sulcifrons Macquart 1855 Since its description by Fabricius in 1805, specimens of T abdominalis have proved difficult to identify due mainly to the variation between individuals and the similarity to other variable species par