Description of the tabanid Fly Atylotus agrestis (Wiedemann,1828) from Tamil Nadu, India

The flies belonging to the family Tabanidae act as vectors for various pathogens in cattle. Adult female flies were collected from Reddipalayam village in Tamil Nadu, India during October, 2022 to January, 2023. The average mean length of body, head and wing of the female flies were 10. 72, 1. 03, and 7. 92 mm. The specimen showed morphological characteristics of Atylotus agrestis. Molecular analysis was carried out by amplifying a 489 bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene followed by sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis of the gene sequence revealed similarity with A. agrestis. The occurrence of the specimen was a new range extension in Tamil Nadu.