Diptera: the Cleggs, Haematopota pluvialis and Haematopota crassicornis.

[nomad]

Diptera: the Cleggs, Haematopota pluvialis and Haematopota crassicornis. 

Here are two images of Diptera known as Cleggs or Horseflies of the Family: Tabanidae. The first image is of a male Black-Horned Cleg Fly, Haematopota crassicornis resting in a rain shower. The males of Haematopota feed on nectar but the females needs to feed on mammal blood to breed and can be a real nuisance to humans and livestock with a painful bite because of their dagger like mouth parts. The second image is of a female Common Horse Fly or 'Notch-horned Cleg Fly',  Haematopota pluvialis trying to piece my fleece jumper for its meal.

It is because of these insects and more especially ticks that a tee-shirt is not an option even on a hot day in the field. The Clegg bite may hurt but the numerous ticks carry serious illness in the form of Lyme disease.

Even though Cleggs are a real nuisance and are certainly not among my favourite insects and I have had more bites from them than I care to remember, I have to say that is one hell of a colourful eye the female pluvialis has.



Haematopota crassicornis. Cotswolds, June 2016. 



Haematopota pluvialis. Cotswolds, June 2016.   

[isidro]

Horsefly eyes are wonderful, aren't they? It's a shame that they lost the eye colours in pinned specimens.

I add a third species, H. ocelligera that it's probably the most common of the genus in my zone.

[wollastoni]

Indeed horseflies have great eyes !
This one is Hybomitra expollicata from French Alpes !

[isidro]

Wow, that Hybomitra it's so almost identicaly to Philipomyia aprica that I would have identified as this species if I see it in the field!