Diptera: Tabanidae

Pronunciation: tah-BAN-ni-dee

Common name: horse flies, deer flies

Identifying characteristics for the family Tabanidae include:

Medium- to large-sized, stout-bodied flies with wings held in single plane over abdomen.
Antennae 3 segmented with 3rd segment elongate and annulated; prominent toothlike basal process present on some species.
Wings with large calypters; veins R4 and R5 divergent and enclosing wing tip.

Additional information:

Larvae of most species are aquatic and predaceous.
The bloodsucking females (compound eyes separated) are often serious pests on livestock and people; males (eyes contiguous) feed on pollen and nectar.
Tabanids vector the bacteria that cause anthrax and tularemia.

References:

Page 274 and plate 13 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Page 335 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
Page 548 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
Pages 505-513 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.

More images:

Links to other Diptera taxa: Tipulidae, Psychodidae, Culicidae, Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, Bibionidae, Cecidomyiidae, Stratiomyidae, Tabanidae, Therevidae, Asilidae, Mydidae, Bombyliidae, Dolichopodidae, Phoridae, Syrphidae, Conopidae, Otitidae, Tephritidae, Agromyzidae, Drosophilidae, Hippoboscidae, Oestridae, Tachinidae, Anthomyiidae, Muscidae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae.

Return to ENY 3005 Index to Orders

Prepared by John L. Foltz, University of Florida, Dept of Entomology & Nematology, 1 November 1998. Modified 8 June 2001.