Large Marsh Horsefly
CR

Large Marsh Horsefly

Tabanus autumnalis

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabanus_autumnalis

Overview

Tabanus autumnalis, the large marsh horsefly, is a medium-sized species of biting horse-fly. It is somewhat scarce compared to T. bromius and T. bovinus. This species shows slightly more of a preference for coastal marsh than some of the other European Tabanus, sometime even found in saltmashes. Wing length is 13–16 mm and about 16–22 mm in body length.

The Large Marsh Horsefly faces severe population decline primarily due to widespread destruction and degradation of its specialized wetland habitats. Agricultural intensification, urban development, and drainage of marshlands have eliminated much of the species' breeding and feeding grounds, while climate change further threatens remaining suitable habitat.

Threat summary

Other threatened species in Tabanidae

VU

Striped Horsefly

Hybomitra expollicata

Unknown
VU

Levels Cleg

Haematopota subcylindrica

Unknown
Downland HorseflyVU

Downland Horsefly

Tabanus glaucopis

Unknown
Big-spotted ClegEN

Big-spotted Cleg

Haematopota bigoti

Unknown

Threatened in Afghanistan

Calidris ferrugineaVU

Calidris ferruginea

Declining
small mallowVU

small mallow

Malva pusilla

Unknown
Tiger SawgillCR

Tiger Sawgill

Lentinus tigrinus

Unknown
EN

Malus komarovii

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Large Marsh Horsefly classified as Critically Endangered?
Large Marsh Horsefly is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Large Marsh Horsefly faces severe population decline primarily due to widespread destruction and degradation of its specialized wetland habitats. Agricultural intensification, urban development, and drainage of marshlands have eliminated much of the species' breeding and feeding grounds, while climate change further threatens remaining suitable habitat.
Where does Large Marsh Horsefly live?
Large Marsh Horsefly occurs in Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Croatia (plus 27 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Large Marsh Horsefly?
The main threats to Large Marsh Horsefly are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.