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Four-lined Horsefly (Atylotus rusticus)
This horse-fly is now very rare in the UK, with its status is recorded as such on the RDB1 (Red Data Book Species).
A. rusticus is mostly found on southern coastal grazing marsh, especially within East Sussex, which is the type of environment in which I found this specimen, albeit a little distance away from where most existing records show it to be.
The only other known site of significance is many miles north and inland, close to Oxford and in the Cambridgeshire Fens. The larvae are probably predatory in wet plant debris of freshwater ditches and pools which characterise both locations.
Alas no video for this one as it flew away before I could film it.
However, given its rarity, I feel very fortunate to have managed a couple of photographs at least.
''Atylotus rusticus'' is a species of horse-flies in the genus ''Atylotus''. It is found in Europe, Asia and North Africa.
comments (3)
Last summer, I went to a riverside spot not far from where I found this horsefly, on a lovely bright warm day.
The kind of day people sunbathe, dip in and out of the water and enjoy a picnic, just as I planned to do.
Within about 30 seconds of putting my bag down on the grass, every horsefly within three miles had my card marked.
The next thing you know I'm hurling myself into the distance, closely followed by Harry the horsefly and his mates, screaming like a set of badly adjusted brakes.
Posted 4 years ago