Subject: Is the green horsefly rare?
Location: Vinton Louisiana
May 7, 2017 8:11 pm
I came home this evening to find what I thought was a cool lightening bug in my kitchen buzzing around the ceiling fan. However, upon googling it, found out it was a horsefly.
I am 42, have traveled to nearly half the states in the US and have never encountered one that was totally green.
I live in Vinton Louisiana.
Are they rare? Are they indigenous to a specific area & if so where is that area? Are they a new insect?
All information is welcome
Thank you for your time.
Signature: Tova
Dear Tova,
Green Horse Flies, Chlorotabanus crepuscularis, are not especially rare, though they might have very localized populations in their range. According to BugGuide: “Body pale green, eyes and thorax yellowish green. The only green tabanid in NA.” So they are not rare, but they are unusual. The large eyes indicate that your individual is a non-biting male. Here is a map of the sightings reported on BugGuide.