[SPECIES COMPOSITION AND LANDSCAPE-ZONAL DISTRIBUTION OF HORSEFLIES (DIPTERA, TABANIDAE) IN THE TERRITORY OF BELGOROD PROVINCE].

Abstract

The article provides a list of 30 species of the family Tabanidae, recorded in Belgorod Province. Forest and forest-steppe species dominate (60 %), being found at edges of oak forests, deciduous and mixed forests, and in mesophytic meadows. These species are distributed over the entire area of the region. The fraction of taiga-forest species in the region is small (10 %). These species are found in western and northern areas where large forests and sphagnum bogs are present. The fraction of steppe species constitutes 13.3 %, these species are found mainly in eastern and south-eastern parts of the Province, where areas of steppe and cretaceous outcrops are found. Desert species (6.7 %) and a single Mediterranean coastal species were also recorded in the region. Mass emergence of horseflies in Belgorod Province begins in June and lasts until mid-August.