Tabanidae

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tabanidae

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Tabanidae
2. What do horse flies (Tabanidae) look like?Horse flies have strong bodies and very large eyes that can see ultraviolet light. The eyes are so big they cover most of the top of their head.
3. Why do female horse flies need to bite?Female horse flies need a blood meal to grow their eggs. They use sharp mouthparts to cut skin and drink the blood.

Hematophagous: An organism that feeds on blood; essential for egg development in female horse flies.
Holoptic/Dichoptic Eyes: Describes eye arrangement: holoptic eyes meet at the top (males), dichoptic eyes are separated (females).
Instar: The developmental stage of an arthropod between molts.