Tabanus bovinus

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Tabanus bovinus
Adult female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Diptera Family: Tabanidae Subfamily: Tabaninae Genus: Tabanus Species: T. bovinus
Binomial name
Tabanus bovinus

Tabanus bovinus is a species of biting horseflies. As the name suggests, it prefers bovine animals as the source of blood, although it may bite other kind of mammals as well. The insect is relatively large for a horsefly, adults usually being 25–30 mm long. Like most other horseflies, its compound eyes are very colorful with stripe-like patterns. Its body and wings are mostly colored brownish gray. It is quite fast and able flier, being capable of evading most attempts to swat it with ease. It bites humans infrequently, because of its preference of bovine animals. This loud-buzzing horsefly can be a nuisance, as it circles around its target and occasionally lands to deliver a bite (in the case of humans, the fly usually takes off again instead). However, to humans it is considerably less harmful than deer flies (Chrysops), which bite much more vigorously.

There are no commercially available insect repellents that fully work against this horsefly, however it usually avoids smoke and exhaust gases. Weather has a great effect on the horseflies' behavior, as they only fly on sunny and hot weather.