Tabanus nigrovittatus explained

Tabanus nigrovittatus, also known as the greenhead horse fly, salt marsh greenhead, or simply the greenhead fly, greenhead or greenfly,[1] [2] is a species of horse-fly commonly found around the coastal marshes and wetlands of the Eastern United States. They are smaller than most horsefly species, instead being close in size to a common housefly. The biting females are a considerable pest to both humans and animals while they seek a source of blood protein to produce additional eggs:[3] greenhead larvae develop in the mud of salt marshes, and adult flies mate and lay their first group of eggs in the marsh, but to lay more eggs a female fly needs to drink an animal's blood, and so female greenheads which have laid eggs fly inland to look for prey in the area bordering the marsh; they can stay on land looking for animals to bite for up to four weeks.[3] Their bites itch, like those of mosquitoes, but are more painful, since greenheads feed by cutting a wound in the skin with scissor-like mouth parts and sucking the blood released through it. Females live for three to four weeks and may lay about 100 to 200 eggs per blood meal.[4] The eggs are laid on the grass in a salt marsh; the larvae live in the intertidal mud of the salt marsh for one or two years, preying on other invertebrates, before pupating in early spring.[3] The adult flies emerge in late spring and are most common from late June to August.[3] [5] [6]

Greenheads are large enough that their population cannot be controlled with insecticide without damaging the ecosystem.[3] Affected coastal communities install black box traps in marsh areas to reduce and control T. nigrovittatus populations.[7] [8]

Notes and References

  1. Moucha . J. . Horse-flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of the World. Synoptic Catalogue. . Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae Supplements . 1976 . 7 . 1–320 . 11 September 2022.
  2. Catalog of Tabanidae (Diptera) in North America north of Mexico . 1995 . Burger . J. F. . International Contributions on Entomology. 1 . 1 . 1-100. Associated Publishers .
  3. Web site: Hansens. Elton. Race. Stuart. The Greenhead and You. Rutgers Equine Science Center. Rutgers. 6 July 2017.
  4. Book: Stubbs, A. . Drake, M. . amp . 2001 . British Soldierflies and their Allies.
  5. Web site: Greenhead Biology . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210804225136/https://www.ccmcp.net/greenhead-fly-control/pages/greenhead-biology . 2021-08-04 . Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project .
  6. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20210922114851/https://www.nj.com/atlantic/2021/07/new-jersey-is-powerless-against-greenhead-flies-heres-why.html . 2021-09-22 . New Jersey is powerless against greenhead flies. Here’s why. . 2021-07-20 . Tim . Hawk . NJ.com.
  7. Web site: Graves. Annie. Greenhead Flies | What are Greenheads?. Yankee Magazine. New England Network. 6 July 2017.
  8. Web site: Gloucester takes aim at greenheads . . 2022-04-13 . Ethan . Forman . https://web.archive.org/web/20220507225310/https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/gloucester-takes-aim-at-greenheads/article_96be156a-ba96-11ec-a488-8ff5d5b08ad3.html . 2022-05-07 . live.