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Spine-legged Robber Fly (Thereutria amaraca), Eurobodalla National Park NSW © Phil Warburton

Robber Flies

— see Robber Fly Bathypogon genus | Dolopus genus | Ommatius genus | Thereutria amaraca

The Robber Fly, belong to a group of flies in the family Asilidae (order Diptera). Also known as Assassin Flies, the Robber Flies are a group of powerfully built and bristly looking flies. This group of flies have a short stout proboscis that encloce a sharp, sucking hypopharynx (a pointy knifelike proboscis for injecting saliva into the prey).

Robber Flies and Assasin Flies reflect their predatory habits of waiting in ambush and catching their prey in flight.

Bathypogon genus (Robbery Fly)

Robber Fly (genus Bathypogon, family Asilidae), Alice Springs NT
Robber Fly (genus Bathypogon, family Asilidae), Alice Springs NT

Dolopus genus (Robbery Fly)

Robbery fly with prey (genus Dolopus), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Robbery fly with prey (genus Dolopus), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones

Ommatius genus (Robbery Fly)

Robbery fly (genus Ommatius), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Robbery fly (genus Ommatius), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones

Thereutria amaraca (Spine-legged Robber Fly)

Spine-legged Robber Fly (Thereutria amaraca), Eurobodalla National Park NSW © Phil Warburton
Spine-legged Robber Fly (Thereutria amaraca), Eurobodalla National Park NSW © Phil Warburton

— see Robber Fly Bathypogon genus | Dolopus genus | Ommatius genus | Thereutria amaraca

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Informal: Pterygotes
  • Order: Diptera
  • Suborders: Brachycera
  • Informal: Orthorrhapha
  • Superfamily: Asiloidea
  • Family: Asilidae
  • Subfamily:
    • Asilinae
    • Bathypogoninae
    • Brachyrhopalinae
    • Dasypogoninae
    • Dioctriinae
    • Laphriinae
    • Leptogastrinae
    • Ommatiinae
    • Phellinae
    • Stenopogoninae
    • Stichopogoninae
    • Trigonomiminae

Footnote & References

  1. Photographs © Stefan Jones
  2. Photographs © Phil Warburton
  3. ASILIDAE Latreille, 1802, Robber Flies, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/ASILIDAE
  4. Robber Flies (Family Asilidae, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/47982-Asilidae

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