Wasp-moth monster

Robber Fly

Wasp-moth monster
Location: Gordonville, Texas
July 4, 2011 2:13 am
I had 6 of these things attack me yesterday. This was the first one I found and took pictures of that wasnt mangled after i got ahold of it. I dont know if there is more of them around, but i think so. This happened July 3, 2011, midday, in north central texas, Gordonville, to be exact. No idea, but I’m a grown ass man and when 5 divebombed me, I almost peed myself. theres a postcard in the pic for size reference.
Signature: JTGrace

Robber Fly

Dear JTGrace,
We are fascinated by your letter, and we have some information for you, and we plan to continue to research this matter.  This is a large Robber Fly, however, we are having difficulty identifying it on BugGuide.  It reminds us of a Hanging Thief in the genus Diogmites, or a closely related genus, because of its physical structure.  You can see other Hanging Thieves on BugGuide.  We could not locate any matches though, and the next subfamily that has members with a similar structure is Stenopogoninae, but again, not matches on BugGuide.  Our searches did lead us to this posting on BugGuide of Orthogonis stygia, and though we are quite certain it is not your species, this information is interesting:  “This species was named over 50 years ago on the basis of half a dozen females. Only one more female had been found since. However I have been finding males regularly in deep wooded canyons in the shady understory on well-rotted oak logs usually on a slope. The males are very possessive of their logs, even challenging humans who come too close, with wasp-like threat displays, and by following you around as long as you are present. I have found them in three east-Arkansas counties. If areas such as I have described are searched, it may turn out that this extremely rare robber fly is not so rare after all. Norman Lavers.”  Perhaps a group of male Robber Flies was defending territory in the hope of luring a mate, and that could explain the attack you experienced.  We have requested additional assistance with this interesting Robber Fly.

Eric Eaton Comments
Daniel:
I agree it is something related to a hanging thief, but maybe not in that genus….Can’t explain the behavior he is describing, unless they were actually catching mosquitoes or some other insects that were in close proximity to the people…..
Eric

Robert Cannings Responds
Hi Daniel:
Eric Fisher and I both say it’s a Saropogon [See BugGuide]species. Eric, who’s much better at these than me, thinks it’s probably S. dispar, which is common in parts of Texas.  As for the 5 or 6 dive bombers, ….. Honestly, we can’t understand what might have happened.
Regards,
Rob

Ed. NOte: Last summer, both Robert Cannings and Eric Fisher assisted in identifying another member of the genus, Sarpogon combustus.

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insect four times larger than a wasp
Location: Dalmatian coast in Croatia
June 22, 2011 2:28 pm
Hi,
I was on holiday in Croatia and took a picture of this huge insect that is eating a wasp.
I would like to know what kind of insect it is?
Thanks in advanced!
Regards
Zrinko Culjak
Signature: Dalmatian insect

Croatian Robber Fly with Prey

Dear Zrinko,
What a magnificent Robber Fly.  Robber Flies are top of the food chain predators and we love that it is eating a wasp.  Some species of Robber Flies are known as Bee Killers and they often prey upon Honey Bees.  The are real marauders around bee hives in the minds of many bee keepers.
We quickly found this matching photo on the New Scientist website.  Alas, the species is not identified.  Seems that posting has produced a lively blog page but I don’t believe the species name of the Robber Fly has been determined.  Anyone care to help?

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What kinda bugs are this pair?
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
June 1, 2011 9:47 pm
Hi, I took this picture today thru the screen of our lanai. The bugs are doing the love dance and stayed that way for at least an hour. We live in Jacksonville, FL where the weather today was a steamy 89 degrees. I have never seen these bugs before, not flying, not crawling; not at all. I did post it on Face Book where someone thought it was a locust, but I looked at pix and their legs are not that long. Would love to know what this pair is. We’ve seen all kinds of creepy crawly things in Florida, this is a new one for us. Thanx for your help.
Signature: Warm Regards, Sunnie Ellis

Mating Robber Flies

Hi Sunnie,
These are mating Robber Flies.  We will be out of the office for a week and we have prepared your posting to go live next week in our absence.

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Suffolk, VA black and white banded fly, elongated curved tail.
Location: Suffolk, VA USA
June 1, 2011 11:55 am
I found this fly hanging out by our garage mid-morning. I cannot find any pictures of it. As you can see from the pic, it has 6 legs. There is a shadow that makes it look like it has 8 legs. It’s tail was curved at the end. It was sluggish and did not fly away when my dog sniffed at it. I appreciate your help in identifying this insect. We live in a swampy area, summers are long and hot, and winters are mild here. We do not live near brackish water. Mostly all of it is fresh. Thanks in advance for your help.
Signature: Arlene Nygaard

Male Robber Fly

Hi Arlene,
This is a Robber Fly and the morphology of the abdomen indicates that it is a male.  We haven’t the necessary skill to provide you with a definitive species identification, however, this photo on BugGuide of Efferia albibarbis is similar enough to be able to assure you that our general identification is correct.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to supply more specific information.

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