Common Horse Fly

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:13 am

This guy was just sunning himself on a rock and stayed there for about a minute. I actually ran into the house and got my camera and he was still there. maybe he was bloated from a meal and needed to digest a little before flying off. I cannot say that about the black flies that were attacking me all day in the garden

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Wed May 23, 2007 2:48 pm

Nice horse fly, Doug. I really love their eyes. You got a great focus on the eyes & hair. The background is smooth & clean too. The 2nd shot kind of looks like he is sticking his tongue out at you.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Wed May 23, 2007 6:00 pm

Thanks Craig...I love the ones with the really rainbow eyes

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Thu May 24, 2007 2:24 am

Really good photographs there Doug but I hate these things! I have had the unfortunate pleasure of having been, so called, bitten by them and the hurt like @#@!

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Sun May 27, 2007 3:07 am

I meant to post a comment on this pic when you first posted it - but got sidetracked by something or other (phone call maybe?). Anyway was just checking back through the posts and came across it again.

I love that head! You've really done a great job in capturing those fantastic (and quite beautiful) eyes and the fly's lethal looking mandibles

- you can understand how it manages to draw blood so easily.

Having said that, from what I've read the mouth-parts are actually quite complex. I guess they would need to be considering it's method of feeding

.

Bruce

salden · Post by **salden** » Sun May 27, 2007 3:36 am

Flies are interesting subjects. For the most part, they will "pose" for you, and I like the pose on this one. He does look like his "tongue" is sticking out at you

.

Beautiful eyes and you did an excellent job on capturing them.

karl-m · Post by **karl-m** » Sun May 27, 2007 2:11 pm

Great images......the eyes are soooo strange.

Tony T · Post by **Tony T** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 10:07 am

The males are much less aggressive!
The first tabanid to emerge in your part of the world, no common name just Hybomitra nuda although some authors think it's a subspecies of the European Hybomitra nitidifrons.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:40 am

Thank you very much for the ID info Tony. I always go back to my pictures and change the names when I find an ID for them

Common Horse Fly

Common Horse Fly

"He" is a "She"