Subject: Robber fly
Geographic location of the bug: South-central New York state
Date: 06/14/2018
Time: 07:39 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I discovered this on a pepper plant on my deck, and have never seen it before. I think it may be a species of robber fly. Can you identify it?
How you want your letter signed: Eric
Dear Eric,
This is a female Stinkfliege in the family Xylophagidae. According to BugGuide, the female can be recognized because, among other traits, she is: “Shiny orange with light-orange abdomen, almost white.” Of the family, BugGuide notes: “Adults sometimes take nectar and other fluids” and “Larvae scavengers or predators.”