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Hello,

I have this male, caught near a lake in western France.
First of all, I'm not sure about the genus...
Eyes clearly haired, no tubercle on vertex between eyes like in Hybomitra.
In north western France, if it's a Tabanus it's nemoralis (upper eye facets clearly enlarged) but antenna are yellow (black in nemoralis). Colour of eyes seem to be not as Atylotus (dark here).
So an Hybomitra for me.
- Long hairs on first antennal segment.
- Angle between lower margins of eyes : 90°
- bimaculata have facets of same size
- Upper facets clearly larger than lower facet muehlfedli excluded and distinguendahave yellow hairs on first tergite, blak here) = solstitialis













Benoît

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Notopleural is dark, so can't be solstitialis.
To be honest, looks more like an Atylotus ?

Theo

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Check this, for instance

https://waarneming.nl/observation/221552800/

In this case c/should be rusticus (?)

Theo

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Thanks Theo for your answer.
In direct comparaison with my specimens of rusticus I have some differences :

Head :
- first antennal segment more than 2x long (less in rusticus)
- black hairs on first segment very long (shorter in rusticus)
- subcallus dark in this specimen (orange in rusticus)
- facial ridge with long black hairs (only pale hairs on rusticus)
- palpus and clypeus with long black hair : really disheveled
- eyes with larger upper facets
- angle between eyes much larger (but not enough for species with angle > 100 (90° here)

Legs :
- front femur with very long black hairs, and only black hairs (shorter and pale in my specimen of rusticus)

Haltere brown

But I think this specimen was in alcohol so maybe the identification is more difficult.
If the tubercle on vertex is always present in Hybomitra (I think so, according to several picture in internet), so it's not Hybomitra. But head is too dark (hairs, eyes, face) for rusticus ?

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I try a new identification :

For me, the tubercle is maybe absent I don't know why.
It's not a Tabanus because it's not the coloration of nemoralis (abdomen and antenna).
It's not (for me) an Atylotus (face too dark and other criteria).
If I look to the genus Hybomitra it could be on bimaculata group.
It can't be bimaculata who have all facets on the same size. It's not solstitialis because the notopleural lobe is dark.
we have yellow hairs on the edge of the first tergite so it could be distinguenda.

The palpi iare really long, not globular and pointed > 2x long than large. all species of bimaculata group have globular palpi so I don't know !!

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Palp is much too slender for any Hybomitra, as you correctly observed. Moreover, the upper facets in eye are too large for any Hybomitra, even solstitialis.
I am not sure what the "other criteria" are, but I haven little doubt it is a male Atylotus and to me rusticus is OK. It is a very variable species, habitat is also a nice match.

Theo

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ok thank you Theo, a difficult specimen, very different with my male of rusticus

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Maybe your original 'rusticus' is a misident, if it is so different....

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This specimen (and two other rusticus)
https://diptera.info/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=5&thread_id=115999

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For me, difficult to compare antennae, since pics are from a different angle. Palpus looks different, so much is clear. That said, rusticus is very variablr and there is jo ither option (, unless you are considering a cryptic species .....)

Theo

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I don't suspect something strange or new. You are the specialist !

I just want to improve my knowledge on identification of Tabanidae and understand this identification
.
About this specimen, new photos to compare with an other rusticus



And to show long black hairs on first antennal segment