Alice Springs Fauna •
Alice Springs DipteraGreen Blowfly Australiphthiria sp (Bee Fly) Mydas Fly, Miltinus sp Robber Fly, Bathypogon sp Soldier Flies (Odontomyia) Stiletto Fly (Agapophytus yeatesi) Yellow-shouldered Hover Fly, Ischiodon scutellaris
This Robber Fly photographed in Alice Springs, is one of the species in the the genus Bathypogon, family Asilidae.
Also known as an Assassin Fly and Bee Killer, the Robber Flies are typically air hunter. They have strong legs enabling them to catch prey in flight and are active predators on flying insects.
Most Robber Flies have a noticeable “beard” of setae around the face, that is believed to serve as protection to their face when tackling their prey. They have a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Diptera
- Suborder: Brachycera
- Informal: Orthorrhapha
- Superfamily: Asiloidea
- Family: Asilidae
- Subfamily: Bathypogoninae
- Genus: Bathypogon
- Species:
(Atlas of Living Australia has listed 35 species at time of writing 30 Oct 2023)
Footnote & References
- Bathypogon Loew, 1851, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/fd7eaed9-5bd2-4829-905a-f49c02bb778c
- Genus Bathypogon, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/368112-Bathypogon
- Genus Bathypogon, ausemade, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/189331389
Alice Springs DipteraGreen Blowfly Australiphthiria sp (Bee Fly) Mydas Fly, Miltinus sp Robber Fly, Bathypogon sp Soldier Flies (Odontomyia) Stiletto Fly (Agapophytus yeatesi) Yellow-shouldered Hover Fly, Ischiodon scutellaris
Alice Springs InsectsAntlion (Heoclisis fundata) Ants (Formicidae) Bees Beetles Butterflies & Moths (Lepidopterans) Diptera Dragonflies Orthoptera True Bugs (Heteroptera) Wasps
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