Tabanid flies (Insecta: Diptera) from Chhattisgarh, India

 

Kailash Chandra 1, Sumana Halder 2, Angshuman Raha 3, Panchanan Parui 4 & Dhriti Banerjee 5

 

1,2,3,4,5 Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 053, India

1 Kailash611@rediffmail.com (corresponding author), 2 sumanazoology@gmail.com, 3 adroitangshuman@gmail.com, 5 dhritibanerjee@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4082.7720-5 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F6101916-6737-4209-A6D5-9ED0C57343D9

 

Editor: Alessandre Pereira Colavite, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil. Date of publication: 26 August 2015 (online & print)

 

Manuscript details: Ms # o4082 | Received 01 July 2014 | Final received 17 June 2015 | Finally accepted 23 July 2015

 

Citation: Chandra, K., S. Halder, A. Raha, P. Parui & D. Banerjee (2015). Tabanid flies (Insecta: Diptera) from Chhattisgarh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(10): 7720–7725; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4082.7720-5

 

Copyright: © Chandra et al. 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

 

Funding: Chhattisgarh CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority).

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: Authors are thankful to Dr. K. Venkataraman, Director, ZSI, Kolkata for providing such opportunities and encouragement to continue this research work. We are also grateful to Chhattisgarh Forest Department for providing permissions to carry out the present research work.

 

 

 

Flies from the family Tabanidae are commonly known as horse flies (Tabanus Linnaeus), deer flies (Chrysops Meigen) and clegs (Haematopota Meigen). This family belongs to the suborder Brachycera and infraorder Tabanomorpha. The tabanids are generally large in size, with characteristic sickle-shaped antennae and hyaline or spotted wings (e.g., Haematopota Meigen, Chrysops Meigen). Some species are with striped abdomen and thorax [e.g., Tabanus (Tabanus) striatus Fabricius] and some with long proboscis [e.g., Philoliche taprobanes (Walker)]. Adult male tabanids feed on nectar and pollen, while females are hematophagous, bearing piercing-like mandibles. This family has medical and veterinary importance. These flies can transmit several protozoan diseases among cattle during blood feeding. Fabricius (1805), Wiedemann (1824), Bigot (1892), Macquart (1846, 1855) and Walker (1848, 1850) have made considerable contributions working on Indian tabanids. In the beginning of this century, Ricardo (1902, 1906, 1909, 1911a, 1911b), Datta & Das (1978), Datta et al. (1997), Datta (1998), Mitra et al. (2006), Mitra & Sharma (2014) worked on tabanids. Recently, Veer (2004) carried out his work on this family of the Indian sub-region in addition to Indian fauna by Mitra et al. (2007). There are 197 species and four subspecies under 12 genera in three subfamilies found in India (Datta 1998). In the Oriental Region, approximately 548 species under 18 genera have been recorded. Mitra et al. (2011) reported 14 species from Chhattisgarh and Mitra & Parui (2014) reported 12 species from Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve. The paper deals with the study of 16 species of the Tabanidae from Chhattisgarh. Haematopota latifascia Ricardo is added to the fauna of Chhattisgarh.

 

 

Materials and Methods

Study area: Chhattisgarh State lies between 17046’–2408’N & 80015’–84024’E in central India having a total area of 1,35,194km2 (Fig. 1). Nearly 44% of the state area is covered by forests and a major part (35,736.239km2) is outside protected areas. Bio-geographically, the state belongs to the Deccan Peninsula bio-geographic zone including provinces, 6D - Chota Nagpur Plateau, 6C - Eastern Highland and 6E - Central Highland (Rodgers et al. 2002). The state bears mixed deciduous vegetation including both moist and dry deciduous tree species.

Methods: Specimens were collected during faunistic surveys in Chhattisgarh conducted by the Zoological Survey of India. Usually, tabanids are collected at day time by sweeping with an insect net. The female flies are generally found around and on cattle because of their haematophagous nature. The male flies are found feeding on plant sap. During collection, GPS coordinates of the surveyed sites were recorded with the help of Garmin Oregon 550 device. The coordinates were used to produce a distribution map of the collected species by using the software DIVA-GIS. The pinned specimens were investigated under Leica EZ4 HD binocular microscope for identification. Morphological characters like wing, head, eyes, abdomen and thorax were compared for identification confirmation with the description present in the published literature of Ricardo (1911a,b). Photographs of whole specimens and body parts were taken in the Leica Stereo Zoom M205A microscope (Images 1,2). After study the specimens were deposited in the designated repository of National Zoological Collection of Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key to subfamilies of Tabanidae

1. Hind tibiae with spurs, ocelli usually present.......2

- Hind tibiae without spurs, ocelli usually absent ............................................................... Tabaninae

2. Third antennal joint with seven to eight division;

proboscis usually prolonged …….…. Pangoniinae

- Third antennal joint with five divisions; proboscis

short; wings demarcated with dark median

cross-band …………...…………………… Chrysopsinae

Systematic account

Subfamily Pangoniinae

Tribe Philolichini

1. Philoliche taprobanes (Walker) (Image 1A)

1854. Pangonia taprobanes Walker, List. Dipt. Colln. Br. Mus; 5: 324.

2011. Philoliche taprobanes: Mitra, Parui & Sharma, Fauna of Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh), State Fauna Series, Zool. Surv. India; 15 (Part-3): 180.

Material examined: 6.viii.2011, (1 female), (15725/H6), Raipur: Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary (WS) (21024.000’N & 81096.338’E), coll. Sunil Gupta; 10.viii.2011, (1 male ex.), (15726/H6),Teak Plantation (21023.656’N & 82024.382’E), coll. A. Sarsavan.

Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur and Raipur), Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra; Sri Lanka.

Subfamily Chrysopsinae

Key to the genera

1. 2nd antennal joint usually as long as or nearly as

long as the first joint, wing with a dark median

cross vein ……………………………….Chrysops Meigen

- 2nd antennal joint shorter than first segment,

wing usually hyaline ...................... Silvius Meigen

2. Chrysops dispar (Fabricius) (Image 1B)

1798. Tabanus dispar Fabricius, Ent. Syst. Suppl., 1: 567.

2011. Chrysops dispar: Mitra, Parui & Sharma, Fauna of Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh), State Fauna Series, Zool. Surv. India. 15(3): 180.

Material examined: 6.ix.2011, (1 female), (15729/H6), Raipur: Barnawapara WS, Barnawapara RH (21024’N & 82025.312’E), coll. Sunil Gupta; 19.ix.2012, (2 males), (15727/H6), (15728/H6),Bilaspur: Karidongri Forest Rest House (22020.551’N & 81096.338’ E), coll. A. Raha.

Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur and Raipur) Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and West Bengal; Bangladesh, China, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

3. Silvius sp.

2014. Silvius sp. : Mitra & Parui, fauna of Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, conservation area series, Zoological Survey of India, 49: 113.

Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur: AWLS).

Subfamily Tabaninae

Key to the Tribe

1. Frons in female much longer than width, frontal

callus generally longitudinal, antennae short,

flagellum having broad basal plate with 4 annuli;

wing smoky or hyaline, basicosta bears strong

setae …………........………........….………..….Tabanini

- Frons in female broader than long, frontal callus

transverse; antennae long and cylindrical, base

of flagellum cylindrical with 3 annuli; wing with

pale marks; basicosta bears sparse setae.......…

……………….......................…………Haematopotini

Tribe Tabanini

Genus Tabanus Linnaeus

Key to species

Group- A (with one or more stripes continuous on abdomen).

1. Frontal callus large, almost square with short

lineal extension; fore head narrowest anteriorly;

a median grey stripe begins on the third abdo-

minal segment and the lateral two stripes

terminate at second segment..... jucundus Walker

- Frontal callus oblong or narrow with lineal

extension ………....................………………………... 2

2. Abdomen with a median stripe and two lateral

stripes; median and lateral stripes almost of

same length; frontal callus with a spindle-shaped

linear extension; median and lateral stripes

almost of same length ............. striatus Fabricius

- Abdomen with one median continuous stripe

only, no lateral stripe or spots or only isolated

ones on the second segment ………………......... 3

3. Median stripe of abdomen black; fore head

barely half as wide anteriorly as is at vertex;

median abdominal stripe narrow; former black;

wing brown …...........……... monotaeniatus Bigot

- Median stripe black with golden hairs; a narrow

grey stripe often apparent on it; abdomen

reddish; last three segments black ………….......… ……...........……..…………..……... abscondens Walker

Group- B (Species with median or lateral spots or both not forming a continuous stripe)

1. Abdomen reddish-brown with triangular white

haired spots from 2-5th segments, underside

(venter) with yellowish-white pubescence ........

…................…………………………… indianus Ricardo

- Abdomen reddish-yellow pubescence with

triangular grey spots from 1-5th segments,

underside (venter) with white pubescence .....…

….….................…………………… rubicundus Ricardo

Group-C (Species with paler bands or with spots on abdomen)

According to present study, only one species [Tabanus (Tabanus) orientis Walker] included in this group, so no key characters have been provided here.

Subfamily Tabaninae

Tribe Tabanini

4. Tabanus (Tabanus) abscondens Walker

1860. Tabanus abscondens Walker, Trans. Entom. Soc: London, 5: 275

2011. Tabanus abscondens: Mitra, Parui & Sharma, Fauna of Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh), State Fauna Series, Zool. Surv. India. 15 (3): 180.

Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh; China, Myanmar.

5. Tabanus (Tabanus) indianus Ricardo

1911. Tabanus indianus Ricardo, Rec. Indian Mus., 4: 175.

2014. Tabanus (Tabanus) indianus: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Distribution: India: Assam, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh; Indonesia (Sulawesi), China, Taiwan, Vietnam.

6. Tabanus (Tabanus) jucundus Walker

1848. Tabanus jucundus Walker, List Dipt. Colln. Br. Mus., 1: 187.

2011. Tabanus (Tabanus) jucundus: Mitra, Parui & Sharma. Fauna of Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh), State Fauna Series, Zool. Surv. India. 15(3): 181.

Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh; China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Sri Lanka.

7. Tabanus (Tabanus) monotaeniatus (Bigot)

1892. Atylotus monotaeniatus Bigot. Mem. Soc. Zool. France, 5: 655.

2014. Tabanus (Tabanus) monotaeniatus: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, West Bengal; China, Indonesia (Java), Myanmar.

8. Tabanus (Tabanus) orientis Walker (Image 1C)

1848. Tabanus orientis Walker, List Dipt. Colln Br. Mus., 1: 152.

2014. Tabanus (Tabanus) orientis: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Material examined: 2.vii.2011, (1 male), (15730/H6), Raipur: Barnawapara, Barnawapara Camp, coll. K. Chandra.

Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur and Raipur), Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh; Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan.

9. Tabanus (Tabanus) rubicundus Macquart

1846. Tabanus rubicundus Macquart, Dipt. Exot. Suppl 1: 33.

2014. Tabanus (Tabanus) rubicundus: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar - Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Meghalaya, West Bengal. Elsewhere : Bangladesh, Indonesia (Java), Laos.

10. Tabanus (Tabanus) striatus Fabricius (Image 1D)

1787. Tabanus striatus Fabricius, Mantissa Insect., 2: 356

2014. Tabanus (Tabanus) striatus Fabricius: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Material examined: 17.vii.2011, (2 males), ( 15762/H6, 15763/H6), Raipur: Barnawapara WS, Akaltara (21021.379’N & 82027.02’ E); 20.vii.2011, 6 (2 males, 4 females), (15744/H6, 15745/H6), Latadadar (21025.289’N & 82025.441’E); 6.vii.2011, (3 males), (15736/H6, 15737/H6, 15738/H6), Kabirdham, Bhoramdev WS, Sarodadadar (22010.46’N & 8103.492’E); 21.vii.2011, 2 (1 female, 1 male), (15742/H6, 15743/H6), 22.vii.2011, 3 (1 female, 2 males),(15739/H6, 15740/H6, 15741/H6), 2.viii.2011, (1 female),(15734/H6); 27.vii.2011, 2(1 female, 1 male),(15732/H6, 15733/H6), Fam River, (22010.889’N & 8102.1’E); 31.viii.2011, (1 female), (15735/H6), Chilpighati Forest Rest House (22010.377’N & 8103.1’E); 21.vii.2011, (1 male ex.), (15760/H6), coll. Sunil Gupta; Durg: Bhilai (21012.000’25.1”N & 81023’37.6”E); 14.ix.2012, (1 male), (15731/H6), Surguja: Bilgumpha,(23019.147’N & 83012.169’E), coll. A. Raha.

Distribution: India: widely distributed Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur, Raipur, Kabirdham, Durg and Surguja), Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh; Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Tribe Haematopotini

Genus Haematopota Meigen

1. Apical band of wing single ….............................. 2

- Apical band of wing double …........................… 4

2. Abdomen blackish-brown with a distinct ashy

grey median stripe and grey roundish spots on

each segment …………….....……… roralis Fabricius

- Abdomen brownish with whitish segmentations..3

3. Apical band of wing broad, band-like, extends

across the whole breadth of apex of wing ........

….…….....................................… latifascia Ricardo

- Apical band broad at base, gradually narrowed

starting from apex of second vein ends at poste-

rior branch of third vein....... assamensis Ricardo

4. Apical bands almost filling up the apex of

wings, lower band very narrow; first joint of

antennae smaller than 1st annulation of third

joint …….............………………… marginata Ricardo

- Apical bands not filling up the apex of wings …..5

5. Both the apical bands join at base and diverge

later, the upper branch end at 1st posterior cell

….........................…………………. tessellata Ricardo

- Both the apical bands run separately, the

upper band narrow, lower band convex at

upper end continued across the lower branch

of third vein and ends at apex of first posterior

cell ……...................…………… javana Wiedemann

 

 

 

11. Haematopota assamensis Ricardo

1911. Haematopota assamensis Ricardo. Rec. Indian Mus., 4: 343.

2014. Haematopota assamensis: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, West Bengal; China, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam.

12. Haematopota javana Wiedemann (Image 1E)

1821. Haematopota javana Wiedemann, Dipt. Exot., 1: 100.

2014. Haematopota javana: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111-128.

Material examined: 23.vii.2011, (1 female), (15797/H6), Raipur: Barnawapara WS, Guragarh, (21028.381’N & 82029.961’E), coll. S. Gupta.

Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur and Raipur), Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal; Bangladesh, China, Java, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand.

13. Haematopota latifascia Ricardo (Image 1F)

1911. Haematopota latifascia Ricardo, Rec. Indian Mu., 4: 356.

Material examined: 2.viii.2011, (1 male), (15796/H6), Koriya: Guru Ghasidas National Park, Ramgarh, coll. A. Raha.

Distribution: India: Assam, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur and Koriya); Myanmar, Laos.

14. Haematopota marginata Ricardo

1911. Haematopota marginata Ricardo, Rec. Indian Mus., 4: 347.

2014. Haematopota marginata: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Distribution: India: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, West Bengal; Bangladesh.

15. Haematopota roralis Fabricius (Image 1G)

1805. Haematopota roralis Fabricius, Syst. Antliat.,: 107.

2014. Haematopota roralis: Mitra & Parui. Fauna of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India. 49: 111–128.

Material examined: 17.viii.2011, (1 male ex.), (15775/H6), Raipur: Barnawapara WS, Akaltara, coll. S. Gupta.

Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur and Raipur), Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu; Sri Lanka.

16. Haematopota tessellata Ricardo (Image 1H)

1906. Haematopota tessellata Ricardo, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) 18: 120.

Material examined: 2.vii.2011, 2 (1 male, 2 females), (15794/H6, 15795/H6), Raipur: Barnawapara WS, Paraspani, coll. K. Chandra.

Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur AWLS, Raipur); Sri Lanka.

Discussion

The study area comprises four districts, Durg, Kabirdham, Surguja, Bilaspur and three protected areas, Guru Ghasidas National Park, Achanakmar Wildlife Sancturary, Barnawapara Wildlife Sancturary. The tabanids are distributed throughout the area, but the maximum numbers of species were recorded from Bilaspur among districts and Barnawapara Wildlife Sancturary among protected areas. After this study, it can be predicted that cattle and flower plants are abundant in these areas, because nectar and cattle blood are the major food source for these flies. Chhattisgarh being a tribal dominated state, high abundance of cattle is expected to be found in more or less every part of the state. So, further taxonomic studies of Tabanidae involving extensive field surveys are highly recommended which may reveal many unknown tabanids with their distributional data in Chhattisgarh.

 

 

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