Abstract
Tabanidae is a well-known and diverse (over 4400 species) family of hematophagous Diptera of great economic importance; however, they have received only a little attention compared to other blood-sucking invertebrates. Tabanids, commonly referred to as horse flies, deer flies or clegs, feed on many vertebrate hosts, including humans.
Their medical and veterinary importance resides mainly in the painful bite and their role of biological and mechanical vectors of various human and animal disease agents as viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Tabanids mostly occur in warm areas with suitable moist locations for breeding, occupying a wide range of habitats.
They are large, robust and sturdy flies, strong fliers, with a striking appearance, variously colored from black through brown to greens and yellows, bold stripes, and large brilliant colored eyes. Females bite during the daytime and the vertebrate hosts locate mainly by color and movement.
In general, most tabanid species are highly seasonal, with great variations between geographical regions. Due to their very complex and long-time life cycle, and other various biological features, no tabanid species has been successfully colonized.
The effective tabanid population management is challenging due to several factors related mostly to the biological features of these insects and include mainly insecticides, trapping and grazing management.