Abstract
In the Croatian fauna, horseflies (Tabanidae) are represented by 78 species belonging to two subfamilies, five tribes, and 10 genera. Identification of these species is based on morphological characteristics. In this study, 43 species of horseflies were analyzed. The highest number of species (19) belongs to the genus Tabanus, followed by the genera Hybomitra with seven species, Haematopota with six species, Chrysops with four species, Atylotus and Philipomyia with two species each, and the genera Silvius, Dasyrhamphis, and Heptatoma with one species each. The standard DNA barcoding region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene, subunit I (COI), was sequenced and compared to the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD). Our analyses confirmed our morphological identifications and added 16 new Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) for Tabanidae to BOLD. Potential problems in the systematics and taxonomy of this family are highlighted.
Highlights
The Tabanidae comprise about 4400 species and include some of the largest biting flies, commonly called horseflies, deer flies, and clegs (Pape et al 2011; Morita et al 2016; Ježek et al 2017)
43 of the 78 Croatian species of horseflies (55%), belonging to the subfamilies Chrysopsinae and Tabaninae, were morphologically identified and their identification was checked by DNA barcoding and species delimitation methods (Table 1)
For 17 additional Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit (MOTU), no public data are available in Barcode of Life Database (BOLD), so these sequences represent the first public entries for the respective species
Summary
The Tabanidae comprise about 4400 species and include some of the largest biting flies, commonly called horseflies, deer flies, and clegs (Pape et al 2011; Morita et al 2016; Ježek et al 2017). I.e., colouration of the abdomen, antennae, maxillary palpi, and notopleural lobes, as well as the shape and colour of frontal calli (the lower callus, located at the lower part of the frons and the upper callus, often present on the middle of the frons), the width of the vertex, or post ocular margins, are considered important taxonomic characters for the identification of horseflies (Chvála et al 1972). Distinguishing these morphological features can be difficult, leading to misidentifications. In addition to species identification, DNA barcoding is used to reveal genetic diversity and determine the presence of biotypes, and it can help to point out taxonomic ambiguities at species level and within species complexes (Votýpka et al 2019)
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