St. Louis, MO unidentified bug
Location: St. Louis, MO
August 1, 2011 7:44 pm
I saw this bug in my backyard. It flew past me and landed on our deck railing. At first I thought it was a wasp but as I looked closer I realized it was something else. The bug was very docile – it did not move much at all as I photographed it. It almost looks like a dragon fly wasp hybrid. No stinger that I could see.
Sorry a couple of the photos are not sharp – was using my iPhone camera.
Signature: jredington
Hi jredington,
This is a Robber Fly in the genus Diogmites, commonly called a Hanging Thief. It gets its name from its habit of hanging by a single leg while eating the prey it has snatched from the air using its long legs like a basket. Here is a photo from our archives that illustrates a Hanging Thief eating.
We have one in the restroom now. Washington mo. I have also seen them in Carlyle il.
I just had one come up and land on my phone while it was in my hand. I’m in Oak Grove, Kentucky. It let me turn my phone around and look at it without flying away. Pretty cool.
We have had these where I work out in Illinois