A two year study was undertaken to determine the seasonal abundance and diversity of adult deer flies and horse flies, to compare two methods of sampling (Malaise trap and sweep net), and to estimate attack rates by tabanids on people at Lake Lansing Park-North, Ingham County, Michigan, in 1990 and 1991. Tabanids were sampled using dry ice-baited Malaise traps, and by making over- head sweeps with a standard insect net while hiking a trail. Hybomitra spp. (299 individuals of 9 species) peaked in abundance in mid-May to early June in both years. Chrysops spp. (11,675 individuals of 14 species) and Tabanus spp. (324 individuals of 8 species) peaked in early-to late-July in both study years. Peak abundance for Chrysops and Tabanus spp. occurred earlier in 1991 than 1990, probably because the spring of 1991 was warmer. There were six new species records for County. More individual Hybomitra and Tabanus were taken by M traps (77.3% for Hybomitra; 76.2% for Tabanus) than by netting (22.7% for Hybomitra; 23.8% for Tabanus). In contrast, sweep netting yielded more individual Chrysops (98.3%) than Malaise traps (1.7%). Tabanid attack rates on people hiking the trail exceeded 1,000 per hour on one occasion each year, at mid-season

Strickler, Jeffrey D

Walker, Edward D

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 26 
Number 2 - Summer 1993 Number 2 - Summer 
1993 
Article 3 
June 1993 
Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae 
(Diptera) at Lake Lansing Park-North, Michigan 
Jeffrey D. Strickler 
Michigan State University 
Edward D. Walker 
Michigan State University 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Strickler, Jeffrey D. and Walker, Edward D. 1993. "Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult 
Tabanidae (Diptera) at Lake Lansing Park-North, Michigan," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 26 (2) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/3 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. 
For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
1993 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 107 
SEASONAL ABUNDANCE AND SPECIES DIVERSITY OF ADULT TABANIDAE 
(DIPTERA) AT LAKE 
LANSING 
PARK-NORTH, MICHIGAN 
Jeffrey D. Strickler and Edward D. Walkerl,2 
ABSTRACT 
A two year study was undertaken to determine the seasonal abundance and 
diversity of adult deer flies and horse flies, to compare two methods of sampling 
(Malaise trap and sweep net), and to estimate attack rates by tabanids on people 
at 
Lake Lansing Park-North, Ingham County, Michigan, in 1990 and 1991. 
Tabanids were sampled using dry ice-baited Malaise traps, and 
by making over­
head sweeps with a standard insect net while hiking a trail. Hybomitra spp. (299 
individuals of 9 species) peaked in abundance in mid-May to early June in both 
years. Chrysops spp. (11,675 individuals of 14 species) and Tabanus spp. (324 
individuals of 8 species) peaked in early-to late-July in both study years. Peak 
abundance for Chrysops and Tabanus spp. occurred earlier in 1991 than 1990, 
probably because the spring of 1991 was warmer. There were six new species 
records for County. More individual Hybomitra and Tabanus were 
taken by M traps (77.3% for Hybomitra; 76.2% for Tabanus) than by 
netting (22.7% 
for 
Hybomitra; 23.8% for Tabanus). In contrast, sweep netting 
yielded more individual Chrysops (98.3%) than Malaise traps (1.7%). Tabanid 
attack rates on people hiking the trail exceeded 1,000 per hour on one occasion 
each year, at nud-season. 
Deer flies and horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) comprise an important group 
of pests of humans and livestock in Michigan. These flies cause a painful bite 
owmg to their blood-feeding habit, and in many areas of Michigan they are very 
abundant during the summer season, when people visit outdoor recreation 
areas. The abundance of deer flies and horse flies is undoubtedly due, in part, to 
the 
association of 
the immature stages with wetlands which are common in 
many areas of Michigan. However, there is very little information on the distri· 
bution and abundance of this important group of nuisance insects in the state. 
Hays (1956) provided county-level information on distribution of tabanids in 
Michigan and gave anecdotal information on seasonal abundance. 
We 
initiated an investigation of 
the seasonal abundance and diversity of 
adult deer flies and horse flies in a county park in south-central Michigan, in 
1990 and 1991. The purpose of the study was three-fold: (I) to examine seasonal 
distribution of different species of Tabanidae, and to compare this information 
between years; (2) to compare two sampling methods (overhead sweep net and 
Malaise trap) for diversity and abundance of tabanids; and (3) to estimate 
attack 
rates of tabanids on people in a summer recreation area, in order to 
clarify the role these insects might have as a nuisance factor for park users. 
IDepartment of Entomology. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. 
2Author to whom reprint requests should be sent. 
1
Strickler and Walker: Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (Dipt
Published by ValpoScholar, 1993
108 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 26, No.2 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
Once per week beginning in mid-June until mid-September, 1990, and mid­
May 
until early-September, 1991 adult tabanids were collected 
at Lake Lansing­
North County Park, in Ingham County, Michigan. The flies were sampled by 
two methods: first, Malaise interception traps (one in 1990, two in 1991) were 
set 
up and baited with one kilogram of 
dry ice as a carbon dioxide attractant. 
The trapping area was a wooded picnic area at th  trail head. In 1991, the traps 
were set up adjacent to each other at the same site. Black buckets were placed 
at the 
bottoms of each 
trap to act as a visual stimulus to supplement the dry ice 
attractant. 
For the second sampling method, a collector walked a hiking trail 
and 
caught any tabanids that were attract d to him using overhead sweeps 
with an insect net. Tabanids were then killed in a standard killing jar. The hike 
took about one and one-half hours, after which the Malaise traps were emptied. 
Tabanids were identified using keys in Pechuman et al. (1983) and Teskey 
(1990). 
Lake Lansing-North County 
Park is popular with local residents for a vari­
ety 
of activities in summer and winter. The park is about 410 acres 
in size, has 
several wooded picnic areas, and several miles of hiking trails th t weave 
through 
uplands and wetlands. 
Degree-days from 1 March 
to 28 June, 1990-1991, were calculated with a 
base temperature of 5.6°C as in Allen (1976), using temperature data from the 
agricultural experiment station at Michigan State University. 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
A total of 6,910 tabanids were collected in 1990 and 5,388 tabanids in 1991 
for a two-year total of 12,298 individuals. Collections consisted of 31 species in 3 
genera (Chrysops, Hybomitra, and Tabanus). This is more than half of the 53 
species of Tabanidae that Hays (1956) documented to occur in Michigan. The 
abundance of different species taken by both sampling methods for both years 
is shown in Table 1. Chrysops vittatus Wiedemann was the most abundant 
tabanid in all collections, comprising 82.7% of all flies taken in 1990 and 74.0% 
in 1991. In contrast, Gojmerac and Devenport (1971) found Chrysops striatus 
Osten Sacken o be the dominant tabanid in seasonal collections in southern 
Wisconsin. In our study, however, C. striatus comprised less than 0.1 % of all 
flies collected. Other common deer flies collected were Chrysops aberrans Philip, 
Chrysops univittatus Macquart, and Chrysops frigidus Osten Sacken, Chrysops 
celatus Pechuman, and Chrysops sackeni Hine. Uncommon species were Chrys­
ops callidus Osten Sacken, Chrysops cincticomis Walker, Chrysops montanus 
Osten Sacken, Chrysops niger Macquart, Chrysops pudicus Osten Sacken, 
Chrysops macquarti Philip, and Chrysops indus Osten Sacken. 
Tabanus lineola Fabricius, Tabanus pumilus Macquart, and Tabanus sack­
eni Fairchild were the most common Tabanus spp. collected, while Tabanus 
trimaculatus Palisot de Beauvois, Tabanus sparus Whitney, Tabanus ameri­
can us Forster, Tabanus atratus Fabricius, and Tabanus fairchildi Stone were 
rare in collections. Hybomitra epistates Osten Sacken, Hybomitra lasioph­
thalma (Macquart), Hybomitra illota (Osten Sacken) were the most common 
Hybomitra spp. in collections, while Hy"bomitra frontalis (Walker), Hybomitra 
hinei (Johnson), Hybomitra minuscula (Hine), Hybomitra pechumani Teskey & 
Thomas, Hybomitra sodalis (Williston), and Hybomitra zonalis (Kirby) were 
rare in collections. 
Although there were no new Michigan state records collected in this study, 
C. 
celatus, 
C. sackeni, H. hinei, H. minuscula, H. pechumani, and T. fairchildi 
were new records for Ingham County. 
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 26, No. 2 [1993], Art. 3
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/3
1993 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 109 
Table 1. Number of each species caught by overhead sweep net and Malaise trap in 1990 and 
1991. One Malaise trap was set up in 1990, and two traps were set adjacent to each other in 
1991. 
1990 1991 
Sweep Malaise Sweep Malaise 
Traps* Total 
14 
7 13 
Net Trap Net 
0 0 6 
C. celatus 31 0 107 1 139 
C. cincticomis 
0 0 4 5 9 C. frigidus 15 34 50 50 149 
C. indus 0 0 1 0 1 
C. macq uarti 
C. montanus 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
2 
0 
0 
1 
2 
C. niger 0 0 1 1 2 
C. pudicus 
C. sackeni 
2 
9 
0 
7 
0 
35 
0 
9 
2 
60 
C. striatus 
5 0 4 0 9 C. univittatus 
218 12 173 3 406 C. vittatus 
5,705 12 3,971 16 9,704 
Total 
Chrysops 6,626 92 4,851 106 11,675 
Hybomitra epistates 
H. fro ntalis 
7 
1 
26 
0 
33 
0 
76 
2 
142 
3 
H. hine; 1 0 2 1 4 
H. illota 1 3 6 20 30 
H. lasiophthalma 5 15 10 86 116 
H. minuscula 1 0 0 0 1 
H. pechumani 0 0 0 1 1 
H. sodalis 0 0 1 0 1 
H. zonalis 0 0 0 1 1 
Total Hybomitra 16 44 52 187 299 
Tabanus americanus 1 0 0 0 1 
T. atratus 2 0 0 0 2 
1'. fairchildi 0 0 0 1 1 
1'. lineola 8 92 6 89 195 
1'. pumilus 
5 7 34 50 96 T. sparus 2 0 0 0 2 
1'. sackeni 12 2 6 3 23 
1'. trimaculatus 0 1 1 2 4 
Total Tabanus 30 102 47 145 324 
*Data represent total of 
two 
traps. 
The percentage of flies in each genus caught by sweep netting or in Malaise 
traps 
is shown in Fig. 
1. Two hundred and thirty-eight tabanids (12 species) 
were collected in the Malaise trap in 1990, while 438 tabanids (21 species) were 
collected in the two raps set in 1991. A total of 6,672 tabanids (21 species) were 
collected in 1990 by sweep netting, while 4,950 flies (21 species) were collected 
by 
the same method in 1991. Chrysops spp. were mainly collected 
by sweep 
netting 
although 
C. frigidus and C. sackeni were also taken more evenly by both 
sampling methods. A higher percentage of the total of Tabanus spp. and 
Hybomitra sp.p. were taken in the Malaise trap, with comparatively fewer taken 
by 
sweep nettIng. Similarly, Tallamy 
et al. (1976) found that Tabanus spp. and 
Hybomitra spp. were taken in greater abundance in Malaise traps versus aerial 
netting in New Jersey. 
The seasonal abundance trends for the 3 genera collected in 1990 and 1991 
are shown in Fig. 2. Hybomitra spp. were most abundant in late May to early 
3
Strickler and Walker: Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (Dipt
Published by ValpoScholar, 1993
110 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 26, No.2 
100 
Tabanus80 
..... 
<1.1 = 60 ~ 
l. 
<1.1 
=... 40 
20 [] 
0 
I- tI. tI. tI. 
W « lu « lu «z a: z a: z a: 
tI. I- tI. I- tI. I­W W W W W WW W Wsa UJ UJ3: « 3: ~ 3: ~ UJ ....I UJ ....I U) ....I 
« « « 
:i :i :i 
Sampling Method 
Figure 1. Percentage of individual Chrysops, Hybomitra, and Tabanus caught by 
sweep net and Malaise traps in 1990 a d 1991, with total numbers collected inside the 
bars. 
June in both study years. Both Chrysops spp. and Tabanus spp. showed uni­
modal peaks in abundance in mid-summer with declines in numbers by early to 
mid-September. In 1991, Chrysops and Tabanus spp. peaked in abundance ear­
lier than n 1990. Chrysops spp. peaked 3 weeks earlier and Tabanus spp. peaked 
six weeks earlier in 1991. Degree-day accumulations during spring and early 
summer (Fig. 3) showed that 1991 was warmer than 1990 by 346 degree-days, 
possibly explaining the earlier peaks of Chrysops spp. and Tabanus spp. in 1991. 
Gojmerac and Devenport (1971) suggested that Tabanidae appear earlier in 
years that have warmer spring temperatures. 
Sweep net collections indicated a peak biting rate on the human hiker of 
1,060 tabanids per hour on July 27, 1990, and 1,065 tabanids per hour on 5 July 
1991. These data suggest that tabanids could be a major nuisance to people 
using the park for recreational purposes. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
We 
thank Donald 
W. Webb (Illinois Natural History Survey) for confirming 
identifications, Frederick Stehr (Michigan State University) for furnishing Mal­
aise traps, and Joan Park and Robert Moore (Ingham County Parks and Recrea­
4
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 26, No. 2 [1993], Art. 3
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/3
-----
-----
1993 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 111 
80 
_____ 1990 Hybomitra 
_1991 

60 

40 

20 

>. 0 
1990e 
~ 
50 Tabanus"C 
1991 

~ 40

-
~ 
-
.£ 
<:) 
U 30 
"C'" 0= 
~ 20 
~ 
~ 
E-4 10 
0 
Z 
0
';!
.... 
<:) 
E-4 2000 1990 Chrysops 
1991
-1500 

1000 

500 

0 
4· 5· 6- 8- 8- 9­
30 20 9 8 28 17 
6- 7. 
29 19 
Date 
Figure 2. Seasonal abundance of Chrysops, Hybomitra, and Tabanus spp. in 1990 and 
1991. Data are total numbers collected by sweep net and Malaise trap per collection day. 
5
Strickler and Walker: Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (Dipt
Published by ValpoScholar, 1993
112 
2~.----------------------------------, 
THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 26, No.2 
1500 
1~ 
500 
4­ 5­ 5­ 5­ 5­ 6­ 6­ 6­ 6­
24 3 10 17 24 7 14 21 28 
Date 
Figure 3. Degree-day accumulation (5.6°C base) from 1 March to 28 June in 1990 and 
1991. 
tion) for permission to have access to the park. This study was supported by the 
Agricultural Experiment Station, Michigan State University. 
LITERATURE CI ED 
Allen, J. C. 1976. A modified sine wave method for calculating degree days. Environ. 
Entomol. 5;388-396. 
Gojmerac, W. L., and E. C. Devenport. Tabanidae (Diptera) of Kegonsa state park, Madi­
son, Wisconsin: distribution and seasonal occurrence as determined by trapping and 
netting. Mosquito News, Vol. 31(4):572-575. 
Hays, K. L. 1956. A synopsis of the Tabanidae (Diptera) of Michigan. Misc. Publ., Museum 
of Zoology, University of Michigan, No. 98. 79 pp. 
Pechuman, L. L., D. W. Webb. and H. J. Teskey. 1983. The Diptera, or true flies, of Illinois. 
I. Tabanidae. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 33, Article 1. 122 pp. 
Tallamy, D. W., E. J. Hansens, and R.F. Denno. 1976. A comparison of Malaise trapping 
and aerial netting for sampling a horsefly and deerfly community. Environ. Entomol. 
5:788-792. 
Teskey, H. J 1990. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 16. The horse flies and deer 
flies of Canada and Alaska, Diptera: Tabanidae. Biosystematics Research Centre, 
Ottawa, Ontario. 381 pp. 
6
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 26, No. 2 [1993], Art. 3
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/3


Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (Diptera) at Lake Lansing Park-North, Michigan

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 26 Number 2 - Summer 1993 Number 2 - Summer 1993 Article 3 June 1993 Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (Diptera) at Lake Lansing Park-North, Michigan Jeffrey D. Strickler Michigan State University Edward D. Walker Michigan State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle  Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Strickler, Jeffrey D. and Walker, Edward D. 1993. "Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (Diptera) at Lake Lansing Park-North, Michigan," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 26 (2) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/3 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 1993 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 107 SEASONAL ABUNDANCE AND SPECIES DIVERSITY OF ADULT TABANIDAE (DIPTERA) AT LAKE LANSING PARK-NORTH, MICHIGAN Jeffrey D. Strickler and Edward D. Walkerl,2 ABSTRACT A two year study was undertaken to determine the seasonal abundance and diversity of adult deer flies and horse flies, to compare two methods of sampling (Malaise trap and sweep net), and to estimate attack rates by tabanids on people at Lake Lansing Park-North, Ingham County, Michigan, in 1990 and 1991. Tabanids were sampled using dry ice-baited Malaise traps, and by making over­head sweeps with a standard insect net while hiking a trail. Hybomitra spp. (299 individuals of 9 species) peaked in abundance in mid-May to early June in both years. Chrysops spp. (11,675 individuals of 14 species) and Tabanus spp. (324 individuals of 8 species) peaked in early-to late-July in both study years. Peak abundance for Chrysops and Tabanus spp. occurred earlier in 1991 than 1990, probably because the spring of 1991 was warmer. There were six new species records for County. More individual Hybomitra and Tabanus were taken by M traps (77.3% for Hybomitra; 76.2% for Tabanus) than by netting (22.7% for Hybomitra; 23.8% for Tabanus). In contrast, sweep netting yielded more individual Chrysops (98.3%) than Malaise traps (1.7%). Tabanid attack rates on people hiking the trail exceeded 1,000 per hour on one occasion each year, at nud-season. Deer flies and horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) comprise an important group of pests of humans and livestock in Michigan. These flies cause a painful bite owmg to their blood-feeding habit, and in many areas of Michigan they are very abundant during the summer season, when people visit outdoor recreation areas. The abundance of deer flies and horse flies is undoubtedly due, in part, to the association of the immature stages with wetlands which are common in many areas of Michigan. However, there is very little information on the distri· bution and abundance of this important group of nuisance insects in the state. Hays (1956) provided county-level information on distribution of tabanids in Michigan and gave anecdotal information on seasonal abundance. We initiated an investigation of the seasonal abundance and diversity of adult deer flies and horse flies in a county park in south-central Michigan, in 1990 and 1991. The purpose of the study was three-fold: (I) to examine seasonal distribution of different species of Tabanidae, and to compare this information between years; (2) to compare two sampling methods (overhead sweep net and Malaise trap) for diversity and abundance of tabanids; and (3) to estimate attack rates of tabanids on people in a summer recreation area, in order to clarify the role these insects might have as a nuisance factor for park users. IDepartment of Entomology. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. 2Author to whom reprint requests should be sent. 1Strickler and Walker: Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (DiptPublished by ValpoScholar, 1993108 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 26, No.2 MATERIALS AND METHODS Once per week beginning in mid-June until mid-September, 1990, and mid­May until early-September, 1991 adult tabanids were collected at Lake Lansing­North County Park, in Ingham County, Michigan. The flies were sampled by two methods: first, Malaise interception traps (one in 1990, two in 1991) were set up and baited with one kilogram of dry ice as a carbon dioxide attractant. The trapping area was a wooded picnic area at th  trail head. In 1991, the traps were set up adjacent to each other at the same site. Black buckets were placed at the bottoms of each trap to act as a visual stimulus to supplement the dry ice attractant. For the second sampling method, a collector walked a hiking trail and caught any tabanids that were attract d to him using overhead sweeps with an insect net. Tabanids were then killed in a standard killing jar. The hike took about one and one-half hours, after which the Malaise traps were emptied. Tabanids were identified using keys in Pechuman et al. (1983) and Teskey (1990). Lake Lansing-North County Park is popular with local residents for a vari­ety of activities in summer and winter. The park is about 410 acres in size, has several wooded picnic areas, and several miles of hiking trails th t weave through uplands and wetlands. Degree-days from 1 March to 28 June, 1990-1991, were calculated with a base temperature of 5.6°C as in Allen (1976), using temperature data from the agricultural experiment station at Michigan State University. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A total of 6,910 tabanids were collected in 1990 and 5,388 tabanids in 1991 for a two-year total of 12,298 individuals. Collections consisted of 31 species in 3 genera (Chrysops, Hybomitra, and Tabanus). This is more than half of the 53 species of Tabanidae that Hays (1956) documented to occur in Michigan. The abundance of different species taken by both sampling methods for both years is shown in Table 1. Chrysops vittatus Wiedemann was the most abundant tabanid in all collections, comprising 82.7% of all flies taken in 1990 and 74.0% in 1991. In contrast, Gojmerac and Devenport (1971) found Chrysops striatus Osten Sacken o be the dominant tabanid in seasonal collections in southern Wisconsin. In our study, however, C. striatus comprised less than 0.1 % of all flies collected. Other common deer flies collected were Chrysops aberrans Philip, Chrysops univittatus Macquart, and Chrysops frigidus Osten Sacken, Chrysops celatus Pechuman, and Chrysops sackeni Hine. Uncommon species were Chrys­ops callidus Osten Sacken, Chrysops cincticomis Walker, Chrysops montanus Osten Sacken, Chrysops niger Macquart, Chrysops pudicus Osten Sacken, Chrysops macquarti Philip, and Chrysops indus Osten Sacken. Tabanus lineola Fabricius, Tabanus pumilus Macquart, and Tabanus sack­eni Fairchild were the most common Tabanus spp. collected, while Tabanus trimaculatus Palisot de Beauvois, Tabanus sparus Whitney, Tabanus ameri­can us Forster, Tabanus atratus Fabricius, and Tabanus fairchildi Stone were rare in collections. Hybomitra epistates Osten Sacken, Hybomitra lasioph­thalma (Macquart), Hybomitra illota (Osten Sacken) were the most common Hybomitra spp. in collections, while Hy"bomitra frontalis (Walker), Hybomitra hinei (Johnson), Hybomitra minuscula (Hine), Hybomitra pechumani Teskey & Thomas, Hybomitra sodalis (Williston), and Hybomitra zonalis (Kirby) were rare in collections. Although there were no new Michigan state records collected in this study, C. celatus, C. sackeni, H. hinei, H. minuscula, H. pechumani, and T. fairchildi were new records for Ingham County. 2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 26, No. 2 [1993], Art. 3https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/31993 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 109 Table 1. Number of each species caught by overhead sweep net and Malaise trap in 1990 and 1991. One Malaise trap was set up in 1990, and two traps were set adjacent to each other in 1991. 1990 1991 Sweep Malaise Sweep Malaise Traps* Total 14 7 13 Net Trap Net 0 0 6 C. celatus 31 0 107 1 139 C. cincticomis 0 0 4 5 9 C. frigidus 15 34 50 50 149 C. indus 0 0 1 0 1 C. macq uarti C. montanus 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 C. niger 0 0 1 1 2 C. pudicus C. sackeni 2 9 0 7 0 35 0 9 2 60 C. striatus 5 0 4 0 9 C. univittatus 218 12 173 3 406 C. vittatus 5,705 12 3,971 16 9,704 Total Chrysops 6,626 92 4,851 106 11,675 Hybomitra epistates H. fro ntalis 7 1 26 0 33 0 76 2 142 3 H. hine; 1 0 2 1 4 H. illota 1 3 6 20 30 H. lasiophthalma 5 15 10 86 116 H. minuscula 1 0 0 0 1 H. pechumani 0 0 0 1 1 H. sodalis 0 0 1 0 1 H. zonalis 0 0 0 1 1 Total Hybomitra 16 44 52 187 299 Tabanus americanus 1 0 0 0 1 T. atratus 2 0 0 0 2 1'. fairchildi 0 0 0 1 1 1'. lineola 8 92 6 89 195 1'. pumilus 5 7 34 50 96 T. sparus 2 0 0 0 2 1'. sackeni 12 2 6 3 23 1'. trimaculatus 0 1 1 2 4 Total Tabanus 30 102 47 145 324 *Data represent total of two traps. The percentage of flies in each genus caught by sweep netting or in Malaise traps is shown in Fig. 1. Two hundred and thirty-eight tabanids (12 species) were collected in the Malaise trap in 1990, while 438 tabanids (21 species) were collected in the two raps set in 1991. A total of 6,672 tabanids (21 species) were collected in 1990 by sweep netting, while 4,950 flies (21 species) were collected by the same method in 1991. Chrysops spp. were mainly collected by sweep netting although C. frigidus and C. sackeni were also taken more evenly by both sampling methods. A higher percentage of the total of Tabanus spp. and Hybomitra sp.p. were taken in the Malaise trap, with comparatively fewer taken by sweep nettIng. Similarly, Tallamy et al. (1976) found that Tabanus spp. and Hybomitra spp. were taken in greater abundance in Malaise traps versus aerial netting in New Jersey. The seasonal abundance trends for the 3 genera collected in 1990 and 1991 are shown in Fig. 2. Hybomitra spp. were most abundant in late May to early 3Strickler and Walker: Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (DiptPublished by ValpoScholar, 1993110 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 26, No.2 100 Tabanus80 ..... <1.1 = 60 ~ l. <1.1 =... 40 20 [] 0 I- tI. tI. tI. W « lu « lu «z a: z a: z a: tI. I- tI. I- tI. I­W W W W W WW W Wsa UJ UJ3: « 3: ~ 3: ~ UJ ....I UJ ....I U) ....I « « « :i :i :i Sampling Method Figure 1. Percentage of individual Chrysops, Hybomitra, and Tabanus caught by sweep net and Malaise traps in 1990 a d 1991, with total numbers collected inside the bars. June in both study years. Both Chrysops spp. and Tabanus spp. showed uni­modal peaks in abundance in mid-summer with declines in numbers by early to mid-September. In 1991, Chrysops and Tabanus spp. peaked in abundance ear­lier than n 1990. Chrysops spp. peaked 3 weeks earlier and Tabanus spp. peaked six weeks earlier in 1991. Degree-day accumulations during spring and early summer (Fig. 3) showed that 1991 was warmer than 1990 by 346 degree-days, possibly explaining the earlier peaks of Chrysops spp. and Tabanus spp. in 1991. Gojmerac and Devenport (1971) suggested that Tabanidae appear earlier in years that have warmer spring temperatures. Sweep net collections indicated a peak biting rate on the human hiker of 1,060 tabanids per hour on July 27, 1990, and 1,065 tabanids per hour on 5 July 1991. These data suggest that tabanids could be a major nuisance to people using the park for recreational purposes. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Donald W. Webb (Illinois Natural History Survey) for confirming identifications, Frederick Stehr (Michigan State University) for furnishing Mal­aise traps, and Joan Park and Robert Moore (Ingham County Parks and Recrea­4The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 26, No. 2 [1993], Art. 3https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/3----------1993 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 111 80 _____ 1990 Hybomitra _1991 60 40 20 >. 0 1990e ~ 50 Tabanus"C 1991 ~ 40-~ -.£ <:) U 30 "C'" 0= ~ 20 ~ ~ E-4 10 0 Z 0';!.... <:) E-4 2000 1990 Chrysops 1991-1500 1000 500 0 4· 5· 6- 8- 8- 9­30 20 9 8 28 17 6- 7. 29 19 Date Figure 2. Seasonal abundance of Chrysops, Hybomitra, and Tabanus spp. in 1990 and 1991. Data are total numbers collected by sweep net and Malaise trap per collection day. 5Strickler and Walker: Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (DiptPublished by ValpoScholar, 1993112 2~.----------------------------------, THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 26, No.2 1500 1~ 500 4­ 5­ 5­ 5­ 5­ 6­ 6­ 6­ 6­24 3 10 17 24 7 14 21 28 Date Figure 3. Degree-day accumulation (5.6°C base) from 1 March to 28 June in 1990 and 1991. tion) for permission to have access to the park. This study was supported by the Agricultural Experiment Station, Michigan State University. LITERATURE CI ED Allen, J. C. 1976. A modified sine wave method for calculating degree days. Environ. Entomol. 5;388-396. Gojmerac, W. L., and E. C. Devenport. Tabanidae (Diptera) of Kegonsa state park, Madi­son, Wisconsin: distribution and seasonal occurrence as determined by trapping and netting. Mosquito News, Vol. 31(4):572-575. Hays, K. L. 1956. A synopsis of the Tabanidae (Diptera) of Michigan. Misc. Publ., Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, No. 98. 79 pp. Pechuman, L. L., D. W. Webb. and H. J. Teskey. 1983. The Diptera, or true flies, of Illinois. I. Tabanidae. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 33, Article 1. 122 pp. Tallamy, D. W., E. J. Hansens, and R.F. Denno. 1976. A comparison of Malaise trapping and aerial netting for sampling a horsefly and deerfly community. Environ. Entomol. 5:788-792. Teskey, H. J 1990. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 16. The horse flies and deer flies of Canada and Alaska, Diptera: Tabanidae. Biosystematics Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario. 381 pp. 6The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 26, No. 2 [1993], Art. 3https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol26/iss2/3

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Seasonal Abundance and Species Diversity of Adult Tabanidae (Diptera) at Lake Lansing Park-North, Michigan

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