Hybomitra aterrima

Hybomitra aterrima is a species of horse flies in the family Tabanidae.[2][3]

Hybomitra aterrima
Hybomitra aterrima var. auripila. Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Diptera
Family:
Tabanidae
Subfamily:
Tabaninae
Tribe:
Tabanini
Genus:
Hybomitra
Species:
H. aterrima
Binomial name
Hybomitra aterrima
(Meigen, 1820)
Synonyms[1]

Distribution

This species can be found in most of Europe (Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Spain and Switzerland).[4]

Description
Hybomitra aterrima. Dorsal view

Hybomitra aterrima can reach a length of 13–16 millimetres (0.51–0.63 in).[5]

The body is black and the wings are transparent, with a small dark patch at the base of the vein R4.[5][6]

Face is black haired, with high antennal bows. Palpi are blackish with black hairs. The compound eyes are well developed in both sexes. They have an iridescent light green pigmentation, with three blue-reddish transversal bands.[5][6]

The Hybomitra aterrima var. auripila (Meigen) has the abdominal tergites more or less distinctly golden-yellow pubescent on posterior margins.[6]

Close-up on eyes

Biology

Males of these horse flies feed on plant juices, while female are bloodsuckers,[5] feeding mainly on mammalian blood, as they require a blood meal before they are able to reproduce. They may be very annoying for cattle, but usually they do not bite people.[5]

References
  1. Catalogue of life
  2. Biolib
  3. Chvala, M., Lyneborg, L. & Moucha, J. (1972). The Horse Flies of Europe
  4. Fauna europaea
  5. Insektenbox
  6. S. Krcmar et al.: Key to the horse flies fauna of Croatia (Diptera, Tabanidae)
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