tabanidæ

pl. [Lat. tab an (us); fem. pl. adj. suff. -idæ.] Entomol.: A cosmopolitan family of Tanystoma (q.v.). Head broad, fitting close to the thorax, and occupied mostly by the compound eyes; there are usually three distinct ocelli; mouth with six lancets in female, four in male; maxillary palpi two jointed; abdomen broad, with eight segments; tarsi with three cushions; wings with a central cell, from which three veins run to the hinder margin. Genera, four in number. Tabanus, Hæmatopota, Chrysops, and Pangonia.