---

Theo!! Heeeelp!! What is this? I only have 3 very similiar photos of it and no specimen. It's from 7 May 2007, Ch?rine Nature Reserve, Indre, central France. Is it maybe T miki, male?

---

Au secours

It's a male of Tabanus autumnalis, given the abdominal pattern. These males can be quite small, sometimes.


Theo

---

Je vous remercie.

So the nice clear median triangles are reliable? That's useful to know. It was definitely smaller and greyer than my Essex T autumnalis.

---

So...I think this must be a female T autumnalis. Photographed a few days later on a bridge over a railway cutting in woodland on a country road, Indre et Loire, central France, about 20km from where the male was seen.

---

Eyes.

---

Susan, actually there are 3 rows of triangles: a central one and 2 lateral ones. There are many species with 1 central row, however, only 2 larger ones (eyes without bands) with 3 rows: autumnalis and rectus.
Furthermore, in the male the strongly enlarged upper facets and complete black antennae are important features. As is the brownish notopleural lobe. I'm less sure about the female, though autumnalis is still my best guess here as well.
In July you will find bovinus, sudeticus and others, maybe.

Theo

---

Many thanks Theo. There will be T eggeri later in the year too - I know it from last year.