''Tabanus'' is a genus of biting

horseflies Horse-flies or horseflies are true flies in the family Tabanidae in the insect order Diptera. They are often large and agile in flight, and only the female horseflies bite animals, including humans, to obtain blood. They prefer to fly in sun ...

of the family Tabanidae. Females have scissor-like

mouthparts Mouthparts may refer to: * The parts of a mouth ** Arthropod mouthparts *** Insect mouthparts {{disambig ...

that aim to cut the skin. The horsefly can then lap up the

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

. Horseflies of this genus are known to be potential vectors of

anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

, worms and trypanosomes. Some species, such as ''

Tabanus bovinus ''Tabanus bovinus'', sometimes called the pale giant horse-fly, is a species of biting horse-fly. As the scientific name suggests, it prefers bovine animals as the source of blood, although it may bite other kind of mammals as well. The insect i ...

'', prefer bovine animals and are less harmful to humans. The genus contains hundreds of species and many species groups.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2720956 Tabanidae Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Brachycera genera

See also

References