Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Thomas Shahan

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Lukjonis

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Thomas Shahan

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: o_lukyanov

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Thomas Shahan

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Thomas Shahan

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Thomas Shahan
Habitat: eastern and southern United States and the Gulf coast of Mexico
Status: No conservation concerns

By far the most beautiful fly I’ve ever seen, the Striped Horsefly (Tabanus lineola), looks incredibly stylish with those large compound eyes.

This is probably the first creature I’ve posted on where I actually think the female is more dazzling than the male! Though, I must admit… he came in a close second. Hmph.

You see, the females are the ones with the electric striped eyes, as shown below:

Female

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Thomas Shahan

While the males have gold dominating their peepers, with a hint of stripes at the very bottom:

Male

Striped Horsefly, Tabanus lineolaimage credit: Thomas Shahan

So, which spectacular see-er do you prefer?