Robber Fly - Family Asilidae (Order Diptera)

Insects in the Diptera family Asilidae are commonly called robber flies. The family Asilidae contains about 7,100 described species worldwide.

All robber flies have stout, spiny legs, a dense moustache of bristles on the face (mystax), and 3 simple eyes (ocelli) in a characteristic depression between their two large compound eyes. The mystax helps protect the head and face when the fly encounters prey bent on defense. The antennae are short, 3-segmented, sometimes with a bristle-like structure called an arista.

The short, strong proboscis is used to stab and inject victims with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which paralyze and digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied meal through the proboscis. Many species have long, tapering abdomens, sometimes with a sword-like ovipositor. Others are fat-bodied bumblebee mimics. Adult robber flies attack other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, various bees, ants, dragon and damselflies, Ichneumon wasps, grasshoppers, and some spiders.

Classification of Robber flies - Family Asilidae (order Diptera)

Kingdom Animalia C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals

Phylum Arthropoda Latreille, 1829 - arthropods

Class Insecta C. Linnaeus, 1758 - insects

Order Diptera C. Linnaeus, 1758 - true flies, mosquitoes and gnats

Suborder Brachycera Schiner, 1862

Infraorder Asilomorpha

Superfamily Asiloidea

Family Asilidae - robber flies

Subfamilies

• Apocleinae
• Asilinae
• Dasypogoninae
• Laphriinae
• Leptogastrinae
• Ommatiinae
• Stenopogoninae
• Stichopogoninae
• Trigonomiminae

references:

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilidae
• www.biolib.cz/en/taxonposition/id17396/

Camera: Sony Ericsson K800i
Location: Ponorogo, East Java, Indonesia (in my father-in-law’s front yard).

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