First records of two genera and thirteen species of Tabanidae (Diptera) from Honduras.

This works presents information on the diversity of the Tabanidae of Honduras as a product of the examination of 386 specimens and a literature review. Thirteen species and two genera (Bolbodimyia and Dasychela) are recorded from the country for the first time. Eighty-five species distributed in 22 genera, five tribes, and three subfamilies are now known from Honduras. A key to the subfamilies, tribes, and genera of the known Honduran species is also included. All new records are mapped and illustrated to aid in the identification of the species. Katerin Veroy, Jesus Orozco, Augusto L. Henriques.

Introduction

is a family of that includes flies considered of medical and veterinary importance due to the blood sucking habits of the adults. Currently the group contains around 4,400 species worldwide (Pape et al. 2011). The Neotropical region has the highest diversity, with approximately 1,205 species and about 28% of the global fauna (Henriques et al. 2012), but many its areas continue to be unexplored.

The best known tabanid faunas in Central America are those of Costa Rica and Panama thanks in big part to the works of Fairchild (1961), Hogue and Fairchild (1974), Fairchild (1986), and Burger (2002). Currently, 146 species of tabanids are known from Costa Rica (Borkent et al. 2018) and 152 from Panama (Fairchild 1986). For Honduras, few works deal with the diversity of horseflies in the country, i.e., Bequaert (1925), Root (1925), and James (1950). Coscarón and Papavero (2009), in their catalog for the neotropics, listed 70 species of from Honduras. Henriques (2016) added two additional species, (Schiner) and (Osten Sacken), for a total of 72 species.

Honduran species diversity is poorly known for many groups. Linares and Orozco (2017) estimated that at least half of the insects in the country are known unknowns, species already described that are not recorded. This poor understanding of the diversity makes conducting ecological and conservation studies very difficult in the country.

This work presents for the first time an overview of the tabanids of Honduras. By nature, this is vastly incomplete as there are many more habitats to sample and collections to revise. In comparison, Costa Rica with less than half the size of Honduras has more than twice the number of known species of tabanids. The aims of this article are: 1) to present the new findings regarding the species diversity in the country, 2) to integrate the records on the tabanid fauna of Honduras scattered in the literature, 3) to provide an updated list of the species, and 4) to create a key for the genera of tabanids known in the country.

Methods

Material of deposited at the Insect Collection at Zamorano University (EAPZ) (Zamorano, Honduras) was examined. Fieldwork was done using H-traps (Egri et al. 2013), light traps, and an aerial net in several locations in Honduras. Specimens were studied under a Leica EZ4 stereo microscope using the keys provided by Bequaert (1931), Philip (1954), Fairchild and Philip (1960), Fairchild (1976), Wilkerson (1979), Fairchild (1983, 1986), Fairchild and Wilkerson (1986), Coscarón and González (1991), Burger (1996), Henriques (2006), Krolow et al. (2007), Burger (2009), Krolow and Henriques (2010), Turcatel et al. (2010), Carmo and Henriques (2019), and Turcatel (2019).

Distributional records were obtained from label data and from the literature.

A species distribution map was made for the new records using SimpleMappr (https://www.simplemappr.net/) and Microsoft Power Point v. 2112.

Photographs were taken using a Canon 100 mm lens mounted on a Canon Rebel T5i attached to a macro rail. Composite images were obtained using PICOLAY v. 2020–02–06 (http://www.picolay.de). Individual images were organized in plates in GIMP v. 2.10.24 (http://www.gimp.org).

Results and discussion

Eighteen genera and 47 species were found in the 386 specimens examined. Thirteen species and two genera are recorded for the first time (Fig. 1).

Figure 1.

Distribution map of new records of from Honduras.

With these new records Honduras has now a diversity of 85 species of horseflies (Table 1). This represents an increase of 15.3% compared to the previously known taxa (72 species) but it’s still a low number, and many more species are expected to be discovered in the future. Two additional species, Kröber from Escuela Agricola Panamericana Zamorano, Francisco Morazan, and (Fairchild) from 15 km west of La Ceiba, Atlántida, are recorded in GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/es/occurrence/3048772282 and https://www.gbif.org/es/occurrence/3385753663). Since this material was not examined, it is not included in the list, but the records are probably valid.

Table 1.

Species of from Honduras. Distributions according to Coscarón and Papavero (2009), except were indicated.

Taxon	Distribution
CHRYSOPSINAE
CHRYSOPSINI
Chrysopssoror Kröber, 1925	Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela
Chrysopsauroguttatus Kröber, 1930	Mexico to Colombia
Chrysopslatifasciatus Bellardi, 1859	Mexico to Nicaragua
Chrysopsmelaenus Hine, 1925	Honduras (new record), Nicaragua, Costa Rica to Venezuela
Chrysopsmexicanus Kröber, 1926	Mexico to Colombia
Chrysopspachycnemius Hine, 1905	Mexico to Honduras
Chrysopsscalaratus Bellardi, 1859	Mexico to Panama
Chrysopsvariegatus (De Geer, 1776)	Mexico to Argentina
Chrysopswillistoni Hine, 1925	Mexico to Honduras
Silviusmelanopterus (Hine, 1905)	Mexico to Honduras
PANGONIINAE
PANGONIINI
Esenbeckiaillota (Williston, 1901)	Mexico to Honduras
Esenbeckiamejiai Fairchild, 1942	Guatemala to Costa Rica
Esenbeckiaprasiniventris (Kröber, 1929)	Guatemala to Ecuador and Trinidad, Brazil
Esenbeckiatranslucens (Macquart, 1846)	Mexico to Peru and Brazil
Esenbeckiawiedemanni (Bellardi, 1859)	Mexico, Honduras (new record)
SCIONINI
Fidenaflavipennis Kröber, 1931	Mexico to Venezuela
Fidenarhinophora (Bellardi, 1859)	Mexico to Venezuela and Peru
Scioneaurulans (Wiedemann, 1830)	Mexico to Costa Rica
Scionemaculipennis (Schiner, 1868)	Honduras, Costa Rica to Venezuela, Ecuador*
TABANINAE
DIACHLORINI
Bolbodimyiaatrata (Hine, 1904)	USA, Mexico, Honduras (new record)
Bolbodimyiaerythrocephala (Bigot, 1892)	Honduras (new record), Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador
Bolbodimyiagalindoi Fairchild, 1964	Honduras (new record), Costa Rica to Colombia
Bolbodimyiaphilipi Stone, 1954	Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras (new record), Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia
Catachloropsbaliopterus Gorayeb, L. Bemúdez, E.M. Bermúdez & Villalba, 1989	Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica
Catachloropsfulmineus (Hine, 1920)	Honduras to Panama, Colombia, Ecuador
Catachloropsscurrus (Fairchild, 1958)	Mexico to Panama
Chlorotabanusinanis (Fabricius, 1787)	Mexico to Peru and Brazil
Chlorotabanusmexicanus (Linnaeus, 1758)	Mexico to Ecuador, Brazil, Trinidad
Dasychelabadia (Kröber, 1931)	Honduras (new record), Costa Rica, Panama
Diachlorusferrugatus (Fabricius, 1805)	USA to Costa Rica, Bahamas Islands
Dichelaceracostaricana (Fairchild, 1941)	Honduras, Costa Rica
Dichelaceragrandis Philip, 1943	Guatemala, Belize, Honduras
Dichelaceramarginata Macquart, 1847	Honduras (New record), Nicaragua to Brazil and Peru
Dichelacerapulchroides Fairchild & Philip, 1960	Mexico, Honduras
Dichelaceraregina Fairchild, 1940	Honduras to Ecuador
Dichelacerascapularis Macquart, 1847	Mexico to Panama
Dichelacerasubmarginata Lutz, 1915	Honduras (new record), Costa Rica to Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia
Lepiselagacrassipes (Fabricius, 1805)	Mexico to Argentina
Leucotabanusexaestuans (Linnaeus, 1758)	Mexico to Bolivia, Argentina, and Trinidad
Leucotabanusnigriventris Kröber, 1931	Mexico to Panama
Phaeotabanuslongiappendiculatus (Macquart, 1855)	Mexico to Panama
Philipotabanusebrius (Osten Sacken, 1886)	Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama*
Philipotabanuselviae (Fairchild, 1943)	Honduras (new record), Costa Rica, Panama
Philipotabanuskompi (Fairchild, 1943)	Belize, Honduras
Philipotabanusmagnificus (Kröber, 1934)	Honduras to Venezuela and Ecuador
Philipotabanusnigrinubilus (Fairchild, 1953)	Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador
Philipotabanusplenus (Hine, 1907)	Guatemala to Colombia
Rhabdotylusvenenatum (Osten Sacken, 1886)	Guatemala to Ecuador
Selasomatibiale (Fabricius, 1805)	Mexico to Argentina
Stenotabanusfulvistriatus (Hine, 1912)	Mexico to Panama
Stenotabanuslittoreus (Hine, 1907)	Mexico to Panama
Stenotabanusmaculifrons (Hine, 1907)	Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad, Venezuela.
Stibasomachionostigma (Osten Sacken, 1886)	Mexico to Colombia
Stibasomaflaviventris (Macquart, 1848)	Mexico to Brazil
Stibasomapanamense Curran, 1934	Honduras to Ecuador and Venezuela
Stypommisacaptiroptera (Kröber, 1930)	Mexico to Guyana, Brazil, Paraguay
Stypommisachangena Fairchild, 1986	Honduras (new record), Costa Rica, Panama
Stypommisau-nigrum Philip, 1977	Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras
TABANINI
Poeciloderasquadripunctatus (Fabricius, 1805)	Mexico to Argentina
Tabanusabattenuis Philip, 1969	Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
Tabanusbigoti Bellardi, 1859	Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela
Tabanusclaripennis (Bigot, 1892)	Honduras (new record), West Indies, Costa Rica to Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile
Tabanuscolombensis Macquart, 1846	USA to Trinidad, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil
Tabanuscommixtus Walker, 1860	Mexico to Venezuela, Hispaniola, Trinidad, Martinique
Tabanusdefilippii Bellardi, 1859	Mexico to Panama
Tabanusdorsifer Walker, 1860	USA, Mexico, Honduras
Tabanuserebus Osten Sacken, 1886	Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
Tabanusjilamensis Hine, 1925	Honduras
Tabanusmorbosus Stone, 1938	USA, Mexico to Panama
Tabanusnebulosus De Geer, 1776	Belize, Honduras (New record), Costa Rica, Trinidad, Barbados to Brazil and Argentina
Tabanusoccidentalis Linnaeus, 1758	Mexico to Argentina, Trinidad
Tabanusoculus Walker, 1848	Mexico to Panama
Tabanuspicturatus Kröber, 1931	Mexico, Belize, Honduras
Tabanuspolyphemus Fairchild, 1958	Mexico to Colombia
Tabanuspruinosus Bigot, 1892	USA to Panama
Tabanuspseudoculus Fairchild, 1942	Guatemala to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Trinidad
Tabanuspungens Wiedemann, 1828	USA, Neotropics (except West Indies and Chile), Trinidad
Tabanusquinquepunctatus Hine, 1925	Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama
Tabanussecundus Walker, 1848	Guatemala to Peru, Surinam, and Paraguay
Tabanussubruber Bellardi, 1859	Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras
Tabanusunipunctatus (Bigot, 1892)	Mexico to Colombia
Tabanusunistriatus Hine, 1906	Guatemala to Ecuador
Tabanusvittigerssp.guatemalanus Hine, 1906	USA, Bahamas, West Indies, Mexico to Surinam, French Guiana, and Brazil
Tabanusxenorhynchus Fairchild, 1947	Guatemala to Panama
Tabanusyucatanus Townsend, 1897	Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua

* Distribution according to Henriques (2016).

New from Honduras

Hine, 1925

Figure 2A

Figure 2.

New records of from Honduras A Hine (♀) B, C (Bellardi) (♀, ♂) D (Hine) (♂) E (Bigot) (♀). Scale bars: 2 mm.

Distribution.

Previously known from Nicaragua to Venezuela (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Material examined.

Honduras: 1♂, Atlántida, RVS Cuero y Salado, Salado Barra, , 2 m, 25.i.2000, R. Cave, R. Cordero and J. Torres leg.; EAPZ22.445. 1♂, El Paraíso, 5.3 km N Cifuentes, , 13.vi.1999, R. Cave and J. Torres leg.; EAPZ69.749. 1♀, El Paraíso, Danlí, Cerro Apaguiz , 20.ii.1988, R. Cordero leg.; EAPZ42.723. 1♀, Francisco Morazán, 32 km Tegucigalpa, El Zamorano, 14°01'N, 87°00'W , J. Cabezas leg.; EAPZ42.698.



(Bellardi, 1859)

Figure 2B, C

Previously known exclusively from Mexico (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 1♂, 1♀, Francisco Morazán, Masicarán, Uyúca, , 10–15.xi.2016, E. van den Berghe leg.; EAPZ42.764.

(Hine, 1904)

Figure 2D

Previously known from U.S.A. and Mexico (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 2♂♂, Olancho, El Murmullo, Sierra de Agalta, , 28.vi.1997, R. Cave leg.; EAPZ69.815.

(Bigot, 1892)

Figure 2E

Previously known from Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador (Coscarón and Papavero 2009), and Colombia (Wolff and Miranda-Esquivel 2016).

Honduras: 1♀, Yoro, Par. Nac. Pico Pijol, , 22–23.vi.1998, R. Cave leg.; EAPZ42.652.

Fairchild, 1964

Figure 3A, B

Figure 3.

New records of from Honduras. A, B Fairchild (♀, ♂) C Stone (♂) D (Kröber) (♀) E Macquart (♀). Scale bars: 2 mm.

Previously known from Costa Rica to Colombia (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 1♂, 1♀, Atlántida, Par. Nac. Pico Bonito, Rio Zacate, , 35 m, 5.iii.2000, R. Cave, R. Cordero and J. Torres leg.; EAPZ27.180.

Stone, 1954

Figure 3C

Previously known from Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 1♂, Atlántida, Cuero y Salado, Salado Barra, , 2 m, 25.i.2000, R. Cave, R. Cordero and J. Torres leg.; EAPZ22.452.

(Kröber, 1931)

Figure 3D

Previously known from Costa Rica and Panama (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 23♀♀, Gracias a Dios, Ciudad Blanca, , 250 m, 15–26.ii.2017, E. van den Berghe leg., light trap; EAPZ43.577.

Macquart, 1847

Figure 3E

Previously known from Nicaragua to Brazil and Peru (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 1♀, Olancho, El Murmullo, Sierra de Agalta, , 28.vi.1997, R. Cave leg.; EAPZ44.214.

Lutz, 1915

Figure 4A, B

Figure 4.

New records of from Honduras A, B Lutz (♀, ♂) C (Fairchild) (♀) D Fairchild (♂) E (Bigot) (♀) F De Geer (♀). Scale bars: 2 mm.

Previously known from Costa Rica to Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 1♀, Olancho, La Muralla, , 26–30.iii.2013, O. Schlein leg.; EAPZ42.549. 1♂, Lempira, Par. Nac. Celaque, , 1400 m, 27.iv.2018, E. van den Berghe leg.; EAPZ69.831. 1♂, Yoro, Par. Nac. Pico Pijol, Linda Vista, , 1450 m, 21.iv.1999, R. Cave and J. Torres leg.; EAPZ42.829.

(Fairchild, 1943)

Figure 4C

Previously known from Costa Rica and Panama (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 12 ♀♀, Atlántida, Par. Nac. Pico Bonito, Rio Zacate, , 35 m, 5.v.2000, R. Cave leg.; EAPZ29.665.

Fairchild, 1986

Figure 4D

Previously known from Costa Rica and Panama (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 1 ♂, Santa Bárbara, El Volcán, Trinidad, , 1320 m, 26.vi.2000. R. Cordero and J. Torres leg.; EAPZ35.149.

(Bigot, 1892)

Figure 4E

Previously known from the West Indies, Costa Rica to Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile (Coscarón and Papavero 2009).

Honduras: 7 ♀♀, Francisco Morazán, El Zamorano, EAP, , 5–29.vii.2020, H-trap, R. Argueta leg.; EAPZ43.572. 1♂, Choluteca, 6.7 km SE Santa Ana de Yusguare, , 8.ix.1999, R. Cave and J. Torres leg.; EAPZ43.570.

De Geer, 1776

Figure 4F

Previously known from Belize (Coscarón and Papavero 2009), Costa Rica (Fairchild 1961), Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Surinam, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Barbados, and Argentina (Coscarón and Papavero 2009; Henriques 2016).

Honduras: 2 ♀♀, Francisco Morazán, El Zamorano EAP, , 850 m, v–vii, Estudiante EAPZ leg.; EAPZ75.022. 1 ♀, Francisco Morazán, El Zamorano EAP, , 850 m, 31.v.2019, L. Moreno leg.; EAPZ75.023.

Key to the subfamilies, tribes, and genera of from Honduras

Modified from Fairchild (1969) and Burger (2009).

1	Hind tibiae without paired terminal spurs or spines; TABANINAE	6
–	Hind tibiae with paired terminal spurs or spines, spines rarely absent or difficult to see	2
2	Third antennal segment with 7 or 8 distinct flagellomeres; tergite 9 undivided; PANGONIINAE	3
–	Third antennal segment with no more than 5 distinct flagellomeres; tergite 9 divided; CHRYSOPSINAE	5
3	Eyes bare; frons with ridge-like callus, which may be bare or tomentose; PANGONIINI	Esenbeckia Rondani
–	Eyes pilose; frons flat, without any sort of callus; SCIONINI	4
4	Cell m3 closed at wing margin	Scione Walker
–	Cell m3 open at wing margin	Fidena Walker
5	Wings with dark crossband (Fig. 2A), crossband absent at times; eyes in life with pattern of dots and bars	Chrysops Meigen
–	Wings hyaline or cloudy on cross veins or elsewhere, without distinct crossband; eye pattern in life irregularly speckled	Silvius Meigen
6	Basicosta without strong setae, if setae present usually less dense than those on adjoining costa; if setae on basicosta as dense as on costa, then vestiges of ocelli present; DIACHLORINI	7
–	Basicosta with numerous strong setae, setae equal in size and density to those on adjoining costa, if setae sparse, then without vestiges of ocelli; TABANINI	22
7	Third antennal segment with strong dorso-basal tooth or forward-pointing spine that often reaches to or beyond end of first flagellomere	8
–	Third antennal segment usually at most with acute dorso-basal angle	12
8	Eyes densely pilose; antennal tooth reaching beyond apex of first flagellomere; proboscis longer than maxillary palpi; maxillary palpi slender, generally exceeding antennae; labella short, membranous; callus club shaped, much narrower than frons; wings with diffuse dark discal marking	Dasychela Enderlein
–	Eyes bare; other characters variable	9
9	Stout species; body sometimes hairy and beelike; foretibiae usually inflated; long hair fringes on at least hind tibiae; maxillary palpi inflated; antennae short, stout, with dorsal tooth extending beyond apex of first flagellomere; labella shiny and sclerotized	10
–	Slender species; all tibiae slender; rest of characters not as above	11
10	Abdomen green or greenish, sparsely covered with hairs; hind tibial fringe moderate in length; all tibiae slender; wings hyaline, sometimes yellowish; not resembling bees	Rhabdotylus Lutz
–	Abdomen not greenish, densely hirsute; hind tibial fringe long; at least foretibia inflated; wings variable, never entirely hyaline or uniformly tinted, generally with black or contrasting pattern; body often resembling bees (see Turcatel et al. 2010)	Stibasoma Schiner
11	Basal callus thin, ridge-like, narrower than frons; eyes unicolored, bright green in life, rarely bicolored or with faint median line; mesoscutum unicolored or weakly striped, not transversely banded	Catachlorops Lutz
–	Basal callus as wide as frons; eyes banded or unicolorous blackish in life; mesoscutum often transversely banded	Dichelacera Macquart
12	Subcallus, and usually first antennal segment, greatly inflated and shiny; third antennal segment long and slender, with obtuse dorso-basal angle; tibiae slender or slightly incrassate; wings black or partly so, with apex sharply hyaline, apical half of vein R4 bent sharply forward; maxillary palpi moderately slender, tomentose; clypeus tomentose	Bolbodimyia Bigot
–	Without above combination of characters	13
13	Tibiae, especially first two pairs, greatly inflated; subcallus, clypeus, and gena bare; maxillary palpi shiny and flattened; wings black at base, at least to ends of cells br and bm; labella membranous	14
–	Tibiae not or but slightly inflated; without above combination of characters	15
14	Large, shiny bluish-black species; wings black from base to middle of cell d	Selasoma Macquart
–	Small species, mesoscutum, and often abdomen, with metallic brassy or greenish scale-like hairs; wings black from base to beyond end of cell d, with hyaline triangle in cells m3 and cua1	Lepiselaga Macquart
15	Mesopleura shiny or pearly tomentose in contrast to rest of pleura; wings usually with dark subapical marking	Diachlorus Osten Sacken
–	Mesopleura not shiny or pearly tomentose, not contrasting with other pleural sclerites; wings without dark subapical marking	16
16	Basal callus absent	Chlorotabanus Lutz
–	Basal callus present, reduced at times	17
17	Labella sclerotized; frons narrow, generally over 5 times as long as its basal width; eyes in life unicolored, unbanded; dorsal angle on third antennal segment strong	Phaeotabanus Lutz
–	Labella membranous; frons generally less than 4 times as long as its basal width; eyes in life usually banded; dorsal angle of third antennal segment variable	18
18	Eyes bare, with at least 2 transverse bands in life; mostly small species with moderately broad frons often with median dark-haired patch; callus rounded or square, generally as wide as frons	Stenotabanus Lutz
–	Eyes pilose or bare, with at most 1 dark median, generally unicolored, rarely bicolored; rest of characters not as above	19
19	Vertex with well-marked tubercle and/or with clear vestiges of ocelli; eyes bare; frons narrow; basal callus club-shaped or ridge-like	20
–	Vertex without tubercle or clear vestiges of ocelli, slightly raised shiny or discolored tubercle rarely present; if tubercle present, then eyes pilose, or frons broad, or basal callus rounded	22
20	Wings with extensive dark pattern not consisting of spots on cross veins; if wings apparently unmarked, then thorax prominently striped, or frons exceedingly narrow and callus thread-like	Philipotabanus Fairchild
–	Wings hyaline, tinted, or with dark pattern consisting primarily of dark spots around cross veins	21
21	Wings hyaline or evenly tinted, with costal cell often darker, but never with apical clouds or spots on cross veins; frontal callus clavate or ridge-like; abdomen black or brown, nearly always with transverse bands at least on fourth segment, rarely otherwise; appendix on fork of vein R4 absent	Leucotabanus Lutz
–	Wing with clouds on at least discal cross veins, often with apical infuscation, if entirely hyaline or tinted, then abdomen and thorax not as above; frontal callus variable; wings often with appendix on fork of vein R4	Stypommisa Enderlein
22	Vertex with small, rounded, sometimes indistinct, tubercle; eyes of female usually pilose, densely so on males; wings with all cross veins prominently spotted	Poeciloderas Lutz
–	Vertex rarely with tubercle; without above combination of characters	Tabanus Lutz