Horsefly head. Macrophotograph of the head of the horsefly Tabanus bovinus. Otherwise known as a gadfly, this insect feeds on the blood of horses and

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Horsefly head. Macrophotograph of the head of the horsefly Tabanus bovinus. Otherwise known as a gadfly, this insect feeds on the blood of horses and cattle. A pair of large compound eyes (green) are seen. The short, downward pointing mouthparts are adapted for blood-sucking, with the middle appendage called the labium. The labium is expanded terminally as paired large labella which carry tubes called pseudotracheae through which blood and fluid from wounds are aspirated.

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Size: 3614px × 2480px
Photo credit: © CLAUDE NURIDSANY & MARIE PERENNOU/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, bovinus, compound, eye, gadfly, head, horsefly, insect, insecta, invertebrate, invertebrates, nature, proboscis, tabanus, wildlife, zoology