Australian Common March Fly - Tabanus australicus
Family Tabanidae
This page contains pictures and information about Australian Common March Flies that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 15mm
- March Flies are sometimes known as Green Heads. The above pictures explained why they are called. Their head is occupied by the two large green eyes.
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- Notice their mouth which is the strong straight proboscis for piercing and sucking.
- When bush-walking, we sometimes found March Fly landed on our body. Most species of March fly females feed on blood before laying eggs. Those fly might not do any good to us. We always drove them away as soon as possible.
- This is a large size brown March Fly with a median pale vitta of fused triangles on segments of dark brown abdomen. Thorax is grey in colour without distinctive pattern. All legs are with femora in dark brown, tibiae paler brown and tarsi in black.
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- Wings are light brownish grey in colour without obvious darkening. Stigma and veins are brown.
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- The eyes are green colour with brown reflections. On face callus is brown in pyriform. Antenna base is orange brown with flagellum deep brown to black.
- Male similar to female with reddish-brown eyes.
- Reference:
- 1. Revision of the horse fly genera Lissimas and Cydistomyia (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini) of Australia - Mackerras, I.M., Spratt, D.M. & Yeates, D.K. 2008, Zootaxa 1886: 1-80.
