Hybomitra affinis

Hybomitra affinis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Tabanidae
Subfamily: Tabaninae
Tribe: Tabanini
Genus: Hybomitra
Species:
H. affinis
Binomial name
Hybomitra affinis
(Kirby, 1837)[1]
Synonyms

Hybomitra affinis is a species of horse flies in the family Tabanidae.[3][4] It is also known as the moose-fly.[5]: 19  Only the female is known to bite.[6]: 119 

In culture

According to Frank G. Speck, among the Naskapi of Sept-Îles, in Quebec, the insect is generally known as misəna'k‘w, those of Mistassini as mici˙cak‘w and those who frequent Lake St. John as mi◌̇ctsina'k‘w. Of these terms, the second at least means "big biter".[6]: 118  Among some of the Naskapi and Mistassini, the insect is also known as "he who governs fish" or "the master of the fish" (Naskapi təpənəmə'k nəme'c, Mistassini katəpe˙'i˙mat nəme'ca). As such, the fly visits people who are fishing and observes to ensure that its subjects are being treated appropriately, specifically not being fished and consumed wastefully. The fly bites the fishermen to ensure they remain mindful of the fly's surveillance.[6]: 119  There is, however, some debate about whether Speck had understood his sources correctly.[7]: 167–68 

Distribution

Hybomitra affinis is found in North America and "is among the most abundant and widely distributed species of Tabanidae in Canada and is an important pest throughout its dominantly woodland habitat".[8]: 174  The distribution extends from western Alaska to easternmost Canada, extending south to Arizona in the west and New England in the east.[8]: 175  "Larvae have been found in saturated moss or other predominantly organic materials around swampy woodland pools, marshy lakeshores, willow swamps, and sphagnum bogs."[8]: 174 

References

  1. ^ a b Kirby, W. (1837). The insects. Pt 4, In Richardson, John, Fauna Boreali-Americana, or the zoology of the northern parts of British America. London: Longman. pp. xxxix + 325 pp., 8 pls.
  2. ^ a b Walker, F. (1854). List of the specimens of dipterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part V. [=Supplement I]. London: British Museum. pp. 1–330. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  3. ^ Moucha, J. (1976). "Horse-flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of the World. Synoptic Catalogue" (PDF). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae Supplements. 7: 1–320. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  4. ^ Burger, J. F. (1995). "Catalog of Tabanidae (Diptera) in North America north of Mexico". International Contributions on Entomology. 1 (1). Associated Publishers: 1–100.
  5. ^ R. H. Cherry, "Insects in the Mythology of Native Americans", American Entomologist, 39.1 (1993), pp. 16–21.
  6. ^ a b c Frank Gouldsmith Speck, Naskapi: The Savage Hunters of the Labrador Peninsula (University of Oklahoma Press, 1977 [first publ. 1935]), ISBN 9780806114187.
  7. ^ Delamour, Carole; Roué, Marie; Dubuc, Élise; Siméon, Louise (2017). "Tshiheu: Le battement d'ailes d'un passeur culturel et écologique chez les Pekuakamiulnuatsh". Recherches amérindiennes au Québec. 47 (2–3): 161–172. doi:10.7202/1048603ar.
  8. ^ a b c Teskey, H. J. (1990). The horse flies and deer flies of Canada and Alaska (PDF). The insects and arachnids of Canada, 16. Ottawa: Canadian Government Publishing Centre. ISBN 978-0-660-13282-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)


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