Instead of laying their eggs in water, Tabanids generally deposit them on foliage or other projections over water. Although there is wide variation, in most species the newly hatched larvae quickly drop into water or wet ground where they consume plant or animal material.

The eggs hatch rapidly, but the larvae may take more than a year to reach the next stage. This pupal stage is passed underground in drier soil, and is completed in a week or two.

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