Morpho and cryptic species of Tabanidae in GSMNP

Horse and deer flies are economically and medically important insects containing approximately 3,800 species worldwide, 292 in America north of Mexico. Some 101 species have been reported from Tennessee and 99 from North Carolina. We aim to conduct the first intensive season-long trapping in the Park specifically for this taxon to determine their seasonality, distribution, population dynamics, and diversity. Trapping will occur in a diverse sampling of ecotypes within the Park in both Tennessee and North Carolina. All species encountered will be analyzed molecularly to identify the presence of cryptic species. We will develop a Lucid web-based key and a checklist of the horse and deer flies of the GSMNP. Data will be submitted to the ATBI online database and results will be presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the ATBI. Species collected will be preserved, identified, and submitted to the GSMNP museum.