Possible Brachonid Wasp
Hi,
I saw this Wasp-like insect this morning through my kitchen window near Benson, Arizona. It is large (maybe 2 – 3"), orange body, dark wings, white face with short red antenae. Two photos of this insect attached. I searched your pic and think this is in the Brachonid Wasp family. Thank you,
Carol Breton
Benson, Arizona

Hi Carol,
This is a Robber Fly, not a Brachonid Wasp. It sure looks like on of the Hanging Thieves in the genus Diogmites, but there are no exact species matches on BugGuide. We will contact Eric Eaton and Martin Hauser to see if either of them knows the species.

Update: (09/26/2007)
Hi Daniel,
I sent the pics to Eric Fisher, who knows everything about robbers (only the flying ones). He told me it is Archilestris magnificus (Walker), a Mexican species which has been only a few times collected in Arizon, but nowhere else in the US… It is not really a hanging thief, but it sure looks like one. Great catch! Cheers
Martin Hauser

Comment: (09/26/2007)
Wow! Hey, I think a friend of mine got one across the border in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico back in 1989. We were on vacation together, and this big robber fly was trying to get out of a storefront window. So my friend paid the dude for the fly! LOL! Wish I would have tried to outbid him:-) Hope we can get these images migrated over to Bugguide, as I’m sure it would be a new genus and species….but I also know how busy you are, Daniel. Maybe Eric Fisher can take a look at our Bugguide asilids and confirm IDs?
Eric Eaton

Huge Wasp found in my pool
My niece found this huge wasp in our pool today and we are curious about what it is and if we should be worried. I have never noticed one around the house before, but then again I let the bees and wasp do there business so I never pay that much attention (I leave them alone, they leave me alone). He was dead by time we found him so after taking our pictures we dropped him onto a spider web and came inside to see if we could identify it on your site, no luck. I cannot get anymore pictures or info because within a few minutes the spider had taken him into his lair
Kristy Fedyk

Hi Kristy,
We believe this is a female Red Footed Cannibalfly, Promachus rufipes, one of the Giant Robber Flies. If handled, they are capable of biting, but they are much more interested in capturing other winged prey. They are also known as Bee Panthers.

Huge Orange Robber Fly
I know you’re swamped, but check out these shots of some kind of large orange robber fly! I’m doing fieldwork in burned forest areas of interior BC and came across this critter one morning on a burned Douglas Fir trunk. I think you can see pupa cases in one of the photos, too… it must have recently emerged. Sadly there’s nothing to indicate scale but I’d say the fly was 2.5-3.5 cm in length. What IS it?!
Shannon

Hi Shannon,
We believe this is one of the Bee-Like Robber Flies in the genus Laphria. We have eliminated the Bee Killer genus Mallophora thanks to this explanation on BugGuide posted by Herschel Raney: “Mallophora Have the very slim antenna tips. Laphria all have the blunted tapered tips.” Your specimen has the blunt tapered antennae. The closest match we can find is Laphria fernaldi, but we would love to get a more expert opinion.

Update: (07/11/2007)
Eric Eaton sent me. His email is glitching. This concerns the Laphria photo from BC with the golden hair and the silver legs. (Now on your robber page.) It is one of the species that Bullington moved out of Laphria proper in his dissertation which has never been published. So we cannot use the other genera names. Dr. Cannings would like to email the shooter about her shot if you can get me the email. Comments from Dr. Rob Cannings in BC. “I’m pretty certain it’s Laphria sackeni Wilcox (apical palp hairs look golden, not black), a widespread Cordilleran species… BC interior and coast north to Alaska…south to California and Colorado. Likes open areas in conifer forests (logged and burned sites) and, like other Laphria species, develops in dead wood.”
Herschel Raney

Bee Mimic and Unknown
Hey guys,
I know you are swamped but I had to share a photo I took this month on Skidaway Island, Georgia. I came across this amazing robber fly that appeared to mimic a bee.
Anthony

Hi Anthony,
Based on the yellow facial hair and black abdomen, we are identifying your bee mimic Robber Fly as a Virginia Bee Killer, Laphria virginica.

Australian Robber Fly
Hello,
GREAT site! I am very impressed and have only looked at a fraction of your excellent site! Attached is a photo of a Robber Fly from Central West NSW, Australia you may wish to use on your site. Regards
Stephen

Hi Stephen,
We absolutely love all the wonderful submissions we get from Australia during our northern winter.

Can’t identify on your site. Bugguide.com or internet
Your site is one of my favorites!!! I scan it weekly. I send several hours learning about the amazing creatures that share this world with us. I do have a bug I have been unable to identify. I have looked on your site, Bugguide and tried every combination I could think of on the internet to identify these little beauties. I live in Navasota, TX and this summer was the first time I have ever seen these guys. Keep up the awesome work!!! Is there anything (besides trying to research on our own first), that we, the grateful readers of this amazing site, can do to help…donations…resources…etc??
Robin

Hi Robin,
We believe these are Wasp Mimicing Robber Flies. They resemble an insect in the genu Ceraturgus on BugGuide, but the match is not exact. By the looks of things, you should be seeing more next year. Thank you for your kind thoughts, but at the moment, we are not set up for contributions. We are still selling our calendars through the gift shop and clicking on some of our ads does help pay the high cost of web hosting. WE are going to try to get Eric Eaton to weigh in on the identification. Eric quickly provided the exact species: “Right family at least:-) These are indeed robber flies, in the genus Laphria. The species is Laphria saffrana, or something like that. That species is also featured on bugguide. Keep up the great work! Eric”