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
Hanging Thief
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.
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