We are very grateful to Dr Sergio Ibañez-Bernal for the identification of the images
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FIGURE 1

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2

FIGURE 2
FIGURE 1 - Poeciloderas sp. -  PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith October 2007).
FIGURE 2 - Unidentified sp. - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith August 2007).
TABANIDAE - DEER FLIES
This family includes some of the world´s largest flies, the infamous "tabanos" infamous because of their loud buzzing flight which invariably precedes a painful bite. The bite is so painful because the mandibles are like tiny scimitars that slice into the flesh of the victim - the free flowing blood being lapped up. Large species are even capable of removing a small piece of flesh which they will devour elsewhere. Their biting behaviour means they are common vectors of some serious diseases and parasites. The family has a worldwide distribution with some 3000 described species, and is absent only from the polar regions. Adults actually feed principally on nectar or pollen, and it is only females that bite - like mosquitoes they require blood for reproduction. Eggs are laid on stones near water or on plant stems, with larvae being voracious predators of invertebrates.
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