robber fly texas

A wide range of ecotypes – from wide open mountain ranges in the west, dense tall forests in the east, brush country of the south, and grasslands of the north – all contributing to extensive … Continue reading "Texas Fireflies" The Asilidae are a family in the order Diptera, the true flies.The common name for members of the family is the robber flies.The Asilidae are cosmopolitan, with over 7000 described species. Contact. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. I recently photographed that same Giant Robber Fly in Pasadena, Texas on a bayou. The Efferia species robber fly shown here was at Bentsen State Park, Hidalgo Co., Texas, in June, 2008. An introduced species in Texas, and rather rare, at least so far. Subfamily Dasypogoninae. Most have a long, tapered abdomen, a rather humpbacked appearance, and spiny legs, and typically rest with wings folded down the back. Robber flies are opportunistic predators, their diets often reflecting prey availability in a particular habitat. Ospriocerus latipennis. Photographed near my house in Austin. This species particularly likes bees and dragonflies as well as biting flies. Shelly (1986) reported that of the nine Neotropical Asilidae species he studied, diet constituents were more than 85% composed of insects from the orders Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, and … Spotted by gatorfellows. El Paso County Office 301 Manny Martinez Senior Dr. 2nd Floor El Paso, TX 79905; el-paso-tx@tamu.edu; Phone: 915-771-2354; 915-771-2356 The legs are reddish-brown and hairy. Robber flies are predators on other insects, as you might expect. Robber fly, (family Asilidae), any of about 6,750 species of predatory insects, worldwide in distribution, in the fly order, Diptera. Robber fly insects are a mixed blessing to gardeners; if they’re seriously perturbed, they can inflict a painful bite, but they also help rid the garden of harmful pests like grasshoppers, other flies, wasps, leafhoppers, white grubs and pupating beetles. Possibly the world's ugliest robber fly Mallophora leschenaulti. There are over 1,000 species of robber flies (family Asilidae) in North America; and nearly 100 have been recorded from the Upper Midwest. The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. Field Guide: Fireflies of Texas by Ben Pfeiffer Texas is one of the most bio-diverse states in the continental US. During the day, the Robber Fly hangs by its front legs from branches or objects near the ground, waiting to ambush passing prey. The robber fly shown here, apparently another Efferia species, was in Madera Canyon, Davis Mountains, Jeff Davis Co., Texas, in June, 2005. Very large, appears black in normal light, hump-backed, hairy, and burly. Robber Flies Asilidae of Goodwell and Texhoma Texas County, Oklahoma by Kurt Schaefer Click on image to see additional views of species Subfamily Asilinae - Subfamily Dasypogoninae - Subfamily Laphrinae - Subfamily Stichopogoninae. Robber flies are distinctive, medium-sized to large, bristly or hairy flies. The common name for this group comes from their ferocious manner of pouncing from the air on their prey. Latreille was the authority for establishing the family in 1802. Robber flies are a diverse group of predatory flies that typically perch in an open area, swiveling their heads to look around, then flitting out to chase insect prey. This is one of the Giant Robber Flies in the genus Promachus. The next two images of an unknown Efferia species were taken in Starr Co., Texas, in May, 2010. Robber Flies eat an assortment of insects like biting flies and other flying insects like bees, butterflies, and wasps. Maybe 4 cm long. 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