TABANINiE 327 



TABANINiE. 



Fig. 220. — Tabanus maculicornis ? . X 4. 



Ocelli often rudimentary or absent, and sometimes even the ocellar 

 tubercle absolutely absent. Proboscis never porrect and elongate. Eyes in 

 life usually brilliant green, but often banded (Tabrmus) or with curious 

 zig-zag bands (Rccmatojiota) ; upper and anterior facets often enlarged in 

 the male. Hind tibiae without any apical spurs. 



Abdomen usually brownish grey or blackish with from one to three rows of light 

 grey dorsal spots or flecks. 



Legs without any apical spurs on the hind tibial, though there are two spurs on 

 the middle pair. " Touchdiairs " always (?) present beneath the front tarsi, and often 

 also beneath the end portion of the front tibiae. 



Wings hardly maculated in any British species of the (comprehensive) genus 

 Tahaims though often blackened or banded in foreign species ; in Hcematopota 

 however the wings are rather darkened and bear numerous hyaline spots which 

 tend to forin incomplete ocelli. Venation simple, the only variation in British 

 species being that of the recurrent veinlet from the upper branch of the cubital fork. 



The females of this subfamily are all blood-suckers, but the males may be found 

 sitting on tree-trunks or posts and rails, while some of them hover in bright sunshine 

 especially in the early morning. 



The only fully recognised character for separating the Tahaninm from 

 the Pangoninoi lies in the absence of apical spurs to the hind tibiae. 



The Tahanince are however a very homogeneous subfamily, and possess 

 a "fades" which almost always differentiates them at a glance; it lies in 

 the square build and robust appearance as contrasted with the more 

 elegant or more varied shape of the Pangonince. The Tahanince never 

 have the elongate porrect proboscis which so often occurs in the 

 Pangonince, nor have they the bright coloration of Chrysojps. 



