Mating Robber Flies

bugman

March 7th, 2006 at 1:00 am

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bug love

Robber flies
Dear Bugman:
Can you identify this pair of mating Asilids? Can you tell which is the female? I would assume the female is the one hanging suspended, since craneflies mate that way; also, with dragonflies it is always the male that holds fast to a perch, unless they’re doing it in flight. I am also attaching a photo of a single individual of the same species. The shots were made in early fall in a field of exotic grasses and thistle near a pond in the San Francisco Bay area. We have another larger Asilid at that pond that preys on damselflies, but I have not seen this species with a prey item.
Thanks very much.
Odophile

Hi Odophile,
We need to defer to Eric Eaton on anything more general than Robber Fly on this, though we agree the female is the suspended member of the pair.

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