Black-horned Cleg - Haematopota crassicornis

The Haematopota genus is distinctive due to the mottled wings. H. crassicornis has a greyish abdomen and all-black antennae.

H. pluvialis is the other common species in this genus and very similar though tends to have a brown rather than grey appearance. The males of both species have eye-bands that stop halfway up, while females of both species have eye-bands over the whole of the eyes. However males of pluvialis have an orange third antennal segment.

Moist habitats, well wooded areas, pond margins and woodland.

May to August.

Males feed from flowers, but the females bite to draw blood from large mammals including humans.

Widespread and fairly common in Britain.

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland