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Hi, this is my first thread as my interest in Diptera is occasional. Because the lack of median callus (seems to me), this specimen is not easy to me to identify by my keys; palpi and general aspect are similar to T. cordiger, but I need opinions about it. Eyes unbanded in living specimen. Collected by me in a clearing in woodland with bovids.
Locus: Sicily, Ragusa province, near Monterosso Almo, 425 m asl, on VI.03.2025. Thank's in advance for any opinion. Giorgio Pezzi.

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It is definitely cordiger-group, the lacking medium callus is weird.
I think I see an eye band and the third antennal segment is red at base, so I am thinking T. leleani, in which the median callus can be quite unclear.


Theo

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Hi Theo, many thanks; actually I've collected a second specimen of Tabanus, in my opinion different to this one. I will post it in a few days (or tomorrow); it has the same lack of median callus but different color in palpi, notopleural lobes (black) and tergites. If you will compare with the upper one remember you would be right about band on eye: I remember only one specimen clearly with green banded eyes, being the other apparently without bands in live specimens. Unfortunatly after death it is possible I confused banded and unbanded specimen, collected in same squared meters. Please wait for second specimen.
Giorgio.

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Giorgio, put several wetted pieces of toilet paper into a small plastic box, put your dried horsefly inside and store it in a fridge. After one or two deys, you can observe the refreshed eyes. If the eyes were banded, you can see such band(s) after the refreshing.

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Well, you might have unifasciatus and/or cordiger as well.
Check the eye band as Libor described and check the width of frons and colournof antenna and notopleural lobes

Theo

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Thank to you and Theo for info. I'm doing the refreshing. Unfortunately, don't wait for second specimen: it seemed to me greasy and after diving in acetone (to see if there were white patches on abdomen or not), I lost it because a sudden gust make fly the plastozote were it was fixed to dry near the window. :o
Until now any trace of it, Sorry!
News about the upper one soon as possible. Giorgio.

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Hi, here is the result of rehydration of the specimen, with a pic after two days in fridge and just a few seconds out of it: it seems to be as the same of second of my pics. I do not see any band when all ommatidia are well focused but confirmation is needed about this. :)

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After new drying the aspect is the following, with clear orangy lateral patch on end of 1st and almost entire 2nd tergites.

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I missed it gefire, but second and third pic "clearly" show an eyeband. So leleani it is.

Theo

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Thank's again Theo; I didn't find this species in old italian cklist. A new pic of habitus after "works". Best regards! Giorgio.