Tabanidae Collection

Tabanus aeneus Surcouf, horse fly
Plate 67 from a drawings collection of Oriental and African blood-sucking flies.. Watercolour and ink on paper, c.1906 by Grace Edwards (1875-1926). Held in the Library and Archives Date: circa 1906

Pale giant horse fly C014 / 9676
Common horse fly. Close-up of a pale giant horse fly (Tabanus bovinus), or cleg, showing its colourful compound eyes. Male horse flies (family Tabanidae) feed on nectar, but females feed on blood

Glossina morsitans morsitans, savanna tsetse fly
Plate 63 from a drawings collection of Oriental and African blood-sucking flies.. Watercolour and ink on paper, c.1906 by Grace Edwards (1875-1926). Held in the Library and Archives Date: circa 1906

Philoliche angulata, horse fly
Plate 23 from a drawings collection of Oriental and African blood-sucking flies. Watercolour and ink on paper, c.1906 by Grace Edwards (1875-1926). Held in the Library and Archives Date: circa 1906

Wheels of a freight train

Cleg-fly or horse-fly, Haematopota pluvialis, adult female biting fly

Dark Giant Horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus) adult, resting on lichen covered twig, Cannobina Valley, Italian Alps, Piedmont, Northern Italy, July

Square-spot Deerfly (Chrysops viduatus) adult female, cleaning iridescent eyes with legs, France, August

Golden Horsefly (Atylotus fulvus) adult, resting on leaf in mire, New Forest, Hampshire, England, July

Tabanidae. Horse Fly

Close-up model of head of horsefly showing a cross-section of its eye

Tabanus, horse fly, close up

Horsefly (Tabanidae), close up of large black-green compound eyes, front view

Common horse fly C014 / 9771
Common horse fly. Close-up of a common horse fly (Haematopota pluvialis), or cleg, on human skin. Male horse flies (family Tabanidae) feed on nectar, but females feed on blood

Common horse fly C014 / 9664
Common horse fly. Close-up of a common horse fly (Haematopota pluvialis), or cleg, on human skin. Male horse flies (family Tabanidae) feed on nectar, but females feed on blood

Horsefly head C018 / 2406
Horsefly head. Close-up of the head of a horse fly (family Tabanidae), showing one of its large compound eyes (large, round). Each compound eye is made up of numerous simple eyes called ommatidia

Horsefly eye C018 / 2407
Horsefly eye. Close-up of the head of a horse fly (family Tabanidae), showing one of its large compound eyes. Each compound eye is made up of numerous simple eyes called ommatidia (small dots)

Horsefly head C018 / 2408
Horsefly head. Close-up of the head of a horse fly (family Tabanidae), showing its large compound eyes (upper left and right). Each compound eye is made up of numerous simple eyes called ommatidia

Horse botfly larvae C016 / 5712
Horse botfly (Gasterophilus sp.). Specimen of hose botfly larvae attached to the stomach wall of a horse

Philoliche longirostris, horse fly
A horse fly specimen from India. This fly uses its long proboscis to feed at flowers. The mouthparts of the female also include shorter blades with which it takes blood

Horse-fly in resin
A horse-fly preserved in resin, no more than a few hundred years old

Tabanus autumnalis, horse fly
Original painting of a horse fly by Amadeo J. E. Terzi, (1872-1956)

Cleg Fly (Haematopota pluvialis) adult, close-up of head, Leicestershire, England, july

Female horse fly head, SEM
Female horse fly head, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). The head of the horse fly (family Tabanidae) is dominated by its large compound eyes

Twin-lobed deerfly (Chrysops relictus). Male deerflies are nectar feeders, whereas the females bite mammals (including humans) to feed on their blood. Photographed in Italy

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"Tabanidae: The Fierce and Fascinating World of Biting Flies" Meet Tabanus aeneus Surcouf, the horse fly known for its metallic green hue and relentless pursuit of blood meals. Glossina morsitans morsitans, the savanna tsetse fly, is notorious for transmitting deadly diseases to both humans and animals. Philoliche angulata, another formidable horse fly species with its sharp mouthparts ready to inflict painful bites. Like the wheels of a freight train, these tabanids keep buzzing around in search of their next victim. Haematopota pluvialis, also known as cleg-fly or horse-fly, an adult female that can leave painful welts on unsuspecting victims. Witness the Square-spot Deerfly (Chrysops viduatus) resting gracefully on a leaf in France during August. Resting on lichen-covered twigs in the Italian Alps is the Dark Giant Horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus), showcasing its impressive size. Get up close with the iridescent eyes of a Square-spot Deerfly (Chrysops viduatus) female from France - truly mesmerizing. Brace yourself as a Cleg Fly (Haematopota pluvialis) sinks its teeth into human flesh in Powys, Wales during July. Watch as a Square-spot Deerfly (Chrysops viduatus) meticulously cleans her iridescent eyes using her delicate legs in France's August sun. Discover the Golden Horsefly (Atylotus fulvus), peacefully resting on a leaf amidst New Forest's marshes in Hampshire, England. In this captivating world flies lies an intricate balance between survival instincts and awe-inspiring beauty – reminding us that even nature's smallest creatures have their own captivating stories to tell.