The orientation behaviour of horse flies and deer flies (Tabanidae: Diptera) IV. The influence of some physical modifications of visual decoys on orientation of horse flies

It was shown that the orientation of adult tabanids to visually attractive glossy black targets is little influenced by temperature and wind-actuated movement of the targets. The size of the targets was critical only for small targets provided that the black silhouette area was reduced without dappling or without striping by light-coloured areas.

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Die orientierung der bremsen (Tabanidae: diptera). IV. Der einfluss einiger physikalischer veränderungen der optischen ziele bei der orientierung der bremsen

Zusammenfassung Es wurde gezeigt, dass die Orientierung von Tabaniden-Imagines auf hoch attraktive, glänzende, schwarze Ziele durch die Temperatur und Bewegung der Ziele wenig beeinflusst wird. Die Grösse der Ziele war nur bei kleinen Ziel kritisch, vorausgesetzt dass die Fläche der schwarzen Silhouette nicht durch weiße Fleckung oder Streifung verkleinert wurde.

     

The orientation of horse flies and deer flies (Tabanidae, Diptera): I. The attractance of heat to Tabanids

Tabanid flies display an exceptionally strong tendency to orientate to and congregate in enclosures which accumulate heat during daylight. In order to study this behaviour to the best advantage and perhaps also to exploit it toward practical control a helio-thermal trap was designed and tested. This trap converts solar radiation to heat and is so designed that tabanids collect in a killing bottle. A number of ecological, ethological and practical applications of the trap are discussed in the light of data obtained to date.

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Résumé Plusieurs espèces de tabanides semblent être fortement attirées par une source de chaleur sensiblement plus élevée que celle de la temperature ambiante. Ces espèces se comportent ainsi surtout quand il fait très chaud alors qu'elles sont tout particulièrement actives. Nous avons profité de ce comportement pour construire un piège hélio-thermique ainsi appelé parce qu'il produit une chaleur tirée de l'énergie solaire.Les tabanides attirés par ce piège y pénètrent par la partie inférieure, et, apparemment attirés par phototaxis volent vers le sommet. Dans cet espace la temperature s'élève audessus de la limite tolérable et les tabanides sont abrutis par la chaleur. Alors ils tombent par un entonnoir dans un récipient contenant du cyanure. Les tabanides capturés sont exclusivement des femelles: fait de la plus haute importance dans l'emploi pratique de ce piège.Cependant ce piège a d'autres applications comme instrument de recherches entomologiques pour les taxonomistes, les oecologistes et les éthologues. Il est fort probable qu'un simple dispositif de moulinet actionné par le vent et créant un mouvement rotatoire augmenterait son attraction sur les tabanides et augmenterait sa valeur pratique aussi bien que sa valeur scientifique. Uu autre emploi important résulterait de son adaptation à l'étude des substances qui attirent ou repoussent ces insectes.

     

Preliminary list of horse flies (Diptera, Tabanidae) of Serbia

Thirty six species of horse flies (Tabanidae) were previously known from Serbia (Europe). The present faunistic study of horse flies (Tabanidae) has resulted in the recording of the 4 new species Atylotus fulvus (Meigen, 1804); Tabanus miki Brauer in Brauer and Bergenstamm, 1880; Tabanus unifasciatus Loew, 1858; and Heptatoma pellucens (Fabricius, 1776), in the fauna of Serbia. The genus Heptatoma Meigen, 1803 is cited for the first time in the fauna of Serbia. 40 species are currently known from Serbia, belonging to nine genera. The fauna can be considered relatively poorly studied. Most of the species belong to the Boreal-Eurasian type of fauna 23, followed by the South European group with 8 species, the Mediterranean group with 6 species, European group with 2 species and Central European group with 1 species.     

Seasonal surveillance of deer and horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae), Gyeonggi province,Republic of Korea

Deer and horse flies, Family Tabanidae, are biological, mechanical, and potential vectors of approximately 27 viral, bacterial, and helminthic pathogens of veterinary and medical importance. Biting fly surveillance was conducted using New Jersey light traps and Mosquito Magnet® traps from May-October during 2015–2018 at eight sites (villages and US military installations and training areas) near/in the Demilitarized Zone and at a US military installation in southern Gyeonggi province, Republic of Korea.A total of 9985 deer and horse flies, comprising 4 genera and 17 species, were collected. The predominant species collected was Chrysops mlokosiewiczi (95.39%), followed by Chrysops suavis (1.48%) and Haematopota koryoensis (1.07%), while the remaining species accounted for only 2.06% of the specimens collected. A bimodal peak was observed for C. mlokosiewiczi in June and late-July, but not for the other two predominant species during the whole of the study period. This study provides and insight into ecological behavior and seasonal abundance of deer and horse flies in Gyeonggi province, Republic of Korea.     

Systematics and distribution of horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Jordan.

The horse fly fauna of Jordan consists of 24 species belonging to seven genera. The present study adds two new records; Tabanus unifasciatus and Tabanus lunatus. Keys and illustrations for the horse flies of Jordan are presented based on examined materials. Distribution and geographic ranges for each species is also given.     

Distribution of halophilous species of horse flies in Croatia (Diptera: Tabanidae)

In the past 20 years, fauna and ecology of horse flies (Tabanidae) were intensively studied in Croatia, especially in the Ramsar sites as wetlands of international importance. Different habitat requirements of larvae were recognised and adults of 78 species in 10 genera were recorded. The true aquatic and semiaquatic larvae are represented by several species of the genera Chrysops Meigen, 1803 Hybomitra Enderlein, 1922. Some species from this ecological group are typical inhabitants of saline biotopes. In the Croatian fauna three halophilous species were recorded: Chrysops italicus Meigen, 1804, Hybomitra acuminata (Loew, 1858) and H. expollicata (Pandellé, 1883). The distribution of these species in Croatia covers 7, 17 and 3 UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) grids, respectively. Specimens were primarily collected in habitats with brackish water along the Adriatic coast, such as Vransko Lake, the mouth of the River Cetina, the delta of the River Neretva and Mljet Island. Only specimens of H. acuminata were recorded in the continental part of Croatia. They were sporadically collected on localities along the Danube floodplain and on four localities near the river Drava. The distribution of H. acuminata in the continental part indicates otherwise rare saline habitats along the Drava and Danube rivers (1.38% of the total catch of the Hybomitra – species from the floodplain).     

Rearing immature horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) by using a substrate of bryophytes and sand

A new method for rearing immature horse flies by using a substrate of bryophytes and sand is described and the advantages of such substrate for maintenance of species with long development periods are discussed.     

Seasonal abundance of horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) from two locations in eastern Croatia.

A total of 10,539 tabanid horse flies from 22 species and five genera was collected in the Tikves forest within the Kopacki rit Nature Park in eastern Croatia. Seasonal abundance was analyzed for the six most abundant species. Tabanus maculicornis, Tabanus tergestinus, and Haematopota pluvialis reached their highest peak abundance in the fourth week of June. Atylotus loewianus and Tabanus bromius reached their highest peak of abundance in the first week of August, whereas Tabanus sudeticus reached its maximum abundance in the third week of July. Horse flies also were collected once a week on the pasture at Petrijevci from mid-May to mid-September during 1993. Paired collections were made from a Malaise trap and from a horse by using a sweep net. A total of 2,867 tabanids belonging to 26 species was collected. The number of tabanids collected on horses was much higher than the total captured with Malaise traps. On their natural host (horse), 2.6 times more tabanids were collected than in the traps. Seasonal abundance was analyzed only for the eight most abundant species. Chrysops paralellogrammus, Tabanus autumnalis, Tabanus bromius, Tabanus tergestinus, Haematopota pluvialis, and Haematopota subcylindrica all reached their highest peak of abundance in the second week of July, whereas Tabanus maculicornis reached the maximal peak of abundance in the third week of June. Seasonal meteorological variability that occurs periodically from one year to another has a significant influence on the maximal peaks of tabanid abundance.     

Analysis of the feeding sites for some horse flies (Diptera, Tabanidae) on a human in Croatia

The landing patterns of horse flies on the human body were observed in Croatia. A total of 386 horse flies belonging to 22 species were sampled. The five most commonly collected species were used in the analysis. The stochastic linear connection is tight among the landings of the species Tabanus bromius, Tabanus maculicornis, Tabanus tergestinus, and Philipomyia graeca on the human body regions (matrix R). The preferred feeding area for these four species was the lower leg, whereas for the species Haematopota pluvialis it was the head and neck. Of the total number of horse flies that landed 44.81% were on the lower leg. Only 0.26% landed on the forearm. Chi-square analysis indicated non random landing patterns on human by these horse flies.     

The Horsefly Fauna (Diptera,Tabanidae) of Yakutia

The literature on the fauna of the family Tabanidae (Diptera) of Yakutia is analyzed. The distribution of 37 species of horseflies over 7 natural regions of Yakutia is considered. Seven taxa of horseflies previously known by erroneous records are excluded from the fauna of Yakutia.

     

An annotated checklist of the horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Lebanon with remarks on ecology and zoogeography: Pangoniinae and Chrysopsinae

Knowledge of the horse fly fauna (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Lebanon is fragmentary, while the local fauna of most neighboring countries has been fairly well researched. Within the framework of the 20-year project "The ecology and zoogeography of the Lepidoptera of the Near East," we regularly collected biting flies in the whole region, including Lebanon. During this time we recorded 14 horse fly species for two subfamilies in Lebanon: four Pangoniinae and ten Chrysopsinae. Only a single species, Chrysops flavipes Meigen, 1804, was known previously in Lebanon, but the following four Pangoniinae: Pangonius haustellatus (Fabricius, 1781), Pangonius obscuratus Loew, 1859, Pangonius argentatus (Szilady, 1923), and Pangonius fulvipes (Loew, 1859) and nine Chrysopsinae: Silvius appendiculatus Macquart, 1846, Silvius ochraceus Loew, 1858, Nemorius irritans (Ricardo, 1901), Nemorius vitripennis (Meigen, 1820), Chrysops buxtoniAusten, 1922, Chrysops compactusAusten, 1924, Chrysops caecutiens (Linnaeus, 1758), Chrysops italicus Meigen, 1804, and Chrysops hamatus Loew, 1858 are new records for the Lebanese fauna. The Tabanidae fauna of Lebanon is completely Palearctic and most species are of a Mediterranean distribution type. Lebanon or nearby northern Israel appears to be in the Levant, the southern geographical distribution border for the Pangoniinae and Chrysopsinae.     

One proboscis,two tasks: Adaptations to blood-feeding and nectar-extracting in long-proboscid horse flies (Tabanidae,Philoliche)

Female Pangoniinae in the tabanid fly genus Philoliche can display remarkably elongated proboscis lengths, which are adapted for both blood- and nectar-feeding. Apart from their role as blood-sucking pests, they represent important pollinators of the South African flora. This study examines the morphology of the feeding apparatus of two species of long-proboscid Tabanidae: Philoliche rostrata and Philoliche gulosa – both species display adaptations for feeding from a diverse guild of long-tubed flowers, and on vertebrate blood. The heavily sclerotised proboscis can be divided into two functional units. The short, proximal piercing part is composed of the labrum-epipharynx unit, the hypopharynx and paired mandible and maxilla. The foldable distal part is composed of the prementum of the labium which solely forms the food canal and is responsible for nectar uptake via the apical labella. The proboscis works as a drinking straw, relying on a pressure gradient provided by a two-part suction pump in the head. Both proboscis and body lengths and suction pump dimensions show a significantly correlated allometric relationship with each other. This study provides detailed insights into the adaptations for a dual diet using an elongated sucking proboscis, and considers these adaptations in the context of the evolution of nectar feeding in Brachycera.     

Tabanidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia

Samples were collected from southern, central and eastern regions of Saudi Arabia using Malaise traps and sweep nets. Nine species of Tabanidae were identified, two for the first time from Saudi Arabia, Hybomitra peculiaris (Szilády) and Atylotus pulchellus (Loew).Therefore, the total number of Tabanidae in Saudi Arabia is 31 species. Remarks of the species recorded in this study were given. A key to the genera of Tabanidae occurring in the Arabian Peninsula is also provided. Available literature for Saudi Arabian Tabanidae is summarized and provided. It is concluded that the tabanid fauna of Saudi Arabia is more similar to that of the Palaearctic region than to the Afrotropical region.     

Behavioral reactions of the horse flies of the genus Hybomitra (Diptera: Tabanidae) during a flight around a host and searching places for bloodsucking

Flight trajectories of horse flies Hybomitra attacking a single host (a cow) have been registered on record cards by the method of Knipest (1981). The trajectories in a search on integuments of preferred places for feeding are described, as well as the responses caused by defensive activity of the cow are considered. The role of sensory systems in a regulation of the feeding reactions of the horse-flies is discussed.     

Dasybasis elquiensis, a new species of horse fly from Northern Chile (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini)

The female of Dasybasis elquiensis, new species, is described and illustrated from specimens collected in Paso La Ternera, Elqui Province, north Chile. Its relationships to other Dasybasis species are discussed.