830 



AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



Fig. 1057. — Taba- 

 niis atratns. 



skin and sucking the blood of men and quadrupeds; the females, 

 however, also feed on sweets of plants when they cannot obtain blood. 

 The larger species, as well as some 

 ■S. v^' ^ of moderate size, belong to the genus 

 I^H^I Tahdnus of which nearly two hundred 



^''\JBmL^r^ species are listed from North America. 

 ^^^^Bp^ One of the most common of these is 

 ^^3^^ the mourning horse-fly, Tahdnus ai- 



^^^^^ rdtus. This insect is of uniform black 



. ^^^^^KL color throughout, except that the 

 ^^^BP^^H body may have a bluish tinge (Fig. 

 ^Pr ^H 1057). The species of this genus attack 

 ^ ^^ cattle and other farm animals almost exclusively. 



To the genus Chrysops belong the smaller and 

 more common horse-flies with banded wings (Fig. 

 1058). The species of this genus attack man as 

 well as other animals. To this genus belong the well-known deer-flies 

 familiar to fishermen and hunters. Sixty- 

 three North American species of this 

 genus are listed by Aldrich. 



The eggs are deposited in large masses 

 on plants or on exposed stones in the bed 

 of a stream. 



The larvse are aquatic or semi-aquatic. 

 As far as known, they are predacious, 

 feeding on various small animals, some 

 upon snails, others upon the larvae of 

 insects. In most cases they have a single 

 pair of spiracles, which is situated at the 

 hind end of the body; some have a pair 

 of spiracles at each end of the body. 

 Figure 1059 represents a larva of Tab- 

 aims. 



The pupa is not enclosed in the skin 

 of the larva. 



Hine ('03) redescribes all Ohio Species 

 and gives a table of the North American 



Family STRATIOMYIID^ 



The Soldier-Flies 



Fig. 1059. — Larva of Tabanus. The soldier-fiies are so called on ac- 



(Photo. by M. V. Slinger- count of the bright-colored stripes with 



^^^^•) which some of the species are marked. 



In the more typical members of this 



family the abdomen is broad and greatly flattened (Fig. 1060) and 



the wings when at rest lie parallel upon each other over the abdomen. 



But in some genera the abdomen is narrow and considerably elongate. 



