Interesting Facts
Given the painful bites they inflict and their
proliferation across the globe, many different areas have special
names for species in this genus. To
find out why this species was classified in the genus Tabanus
you can go to the
classification page of this website.
In Australia they are known as March Flies and in some parts
of Canada are referred to as Bull Dog Flies.
Some other common nicknames given to the horseflies of the
Tabanus genus are green
heads (for their distinctive green or purple eyes that compose most
of the head), gad flies (which may refer to their mouth parts that
resemble wedge shaped miners’ tools), breeze fly, and ear fly (Anonymous
2012). These
flies are so notorious that they even penetrate stories of American
history. It is said
that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1786, as
opposed to a date later in the summer allowing for further
deliberation because the Horseflies were biting so ferociously that
summer in Philadelphia that the delegates made the decision to
adjourn early just to escape the nuisance (Arnett
1985).
