Hole Punch, Pt. 3 - _TNY_9441
I had a large visitor who flew in on our glassed-in patio and couldn't navigate out. This is a female dark giant horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus), Europe's heaviest fly.
It's really a shame that I couldn't photograph it in a way that show how really massive it was (body length 25 mm / 1").
One option would have been to lure her up onto my finger for a size reference, but since these like to bite cows and horses, I was a bit hesitant. I kind of doubt it would bite my finger, but if it can punch through a cow hide - I don't want to find out what my finger would look like!
There is a very similar, but rarer, species, the pale giant horsefly (T. bovinus), but this is a sudeticus because of how much of the third antennal segment is red instead of black.
This was taken at 1.8:1 magnification. Part 1 is from slightly further away at 1.5:1 and you can find it here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52222975285/
Part 2 (at 1.2:1) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52562378817/
I actually ran across - or more accurately, I was targeted by - a female of the rarer T. bovinus less than a week after this and managed a close shot of that one trying to figure out how to get to my leg through my work pants here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52265137883/
Hole Punch, Pt. 3 - _TNY_9441
I had a large visitor who flew in on our glassed-in patio and couldn't navigate out. This is a female dark giant horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus), Europe's heaviest fly.
It's really a shame that I couldn't photograph it in a way that show how really massive it was (body length 25 mm / 1").
One option would have been to lure her up onto my finger for a size reference, but since these like to bite cows and horses, I was a bit hesitant. I kind of doubt it would bite my finger, but if it can punch through a cow hide - I don't want to find out what my finger would look like!
There is a very similar, but rarer, species, the pale giant horsefly (T. bovinus), but this is a sudeticus because of how much of the third antennal segment is red instead of black.
This was taken at 1.8:1 magnification. Part 1 is from slightly further away at 1.5:1 and you can find it here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52222975285/
Part 2 (at 1.2:1) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52562378817/
I actually ran across - or more accurately, I was targeted by - a female of the rarer T. bovinus less than a week after this and managed a close shot of that one trying to figure out how to get to my leg through my work pants here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52265137883/