Asilidae

Asilidae
Zosteria sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Suborder:	Brachycera
Infraorder:	Asilomorpha
Superfamily:	Asiloidea
Family:	Asilidae
Subfamilies
Apocleinae Asilinae Dasypogoninae Laphriinae Leptogastrinae Ommatiinae Stenopogoninae Stichopogoninae Trigonomiminae

Insects in the Diptera family Asilidae are commonly called robber flies. The family Asilidae contains about 7,100 described species worldwide.

All robber flies have stout, spiny legs, a dense moustache of bristles on the face (mystax), and 3 simple eyes (ocelli) in a characteristic depression between their two large compound eyes. The mystax helps protect the head and face when the fly encounters prey bent on defense. The antennae are short, 3-segmented, sometimes with a bristle-like structure called an arista.

The short, strong proboscis is used to stab and inject victims with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which paralyze and digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied meal through the proboscis. Many species have long, tapering abdomens, sometimes with a sword-like ovipositor. Others are fat-bodied bumblebee mimics. Adult robber flies attack other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, various bees, ants, dragon and damselflies, Ichneumon wasps, grasshoppers, and some spiders.

Gallery

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  Laphria sp. preys a ladybug

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  Stichopogon sp

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  Female

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  Male

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  Mating

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  With prey

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  Holcocephala fusca with prey

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• 
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  robberflies are insectivores

See also

• List of soldierflies and allies of Great Britain

Other references

• Geller-Grimm F (2003): Photographic atlas and identification key to the robber flies of Germany (Diptera: Asilidae), CD-ROM, Amphx-Verlag Halle (Saale). ISBN 3-932795-18-0
• Hull, Frank M. (1962). "Robber Flies of the World: The Genera of the Family Asilidae". Bulletin of the United States National Museum 224: 1–907. hdl:10088/10126. 
• Lavigne, Robert J. (2003). "Evolution of courtship behaviour among the Asilidae (Diptera), with a review of courtship and mating". Studia dipterologica 9 (2): 703–42. 
• Musso, Joseph-Jean (1978) (in French). Recherches sur le développement, la nutrition et l'écologie des Asilidae (Diptera - Brachycera) (PhD thesis). OCLC 30534417. 
• Oldroyd, Harold (1969). Tabanoidea and Asiloidea. Handbooks for the identification of British insects. Royal Entomological Society. OCLC 256410648. 
• Papavero, N (1973). "Studies of Asilidae (Diptera) systematics and evolution: I. A preliminary classification in subfamilies". Arquivos de Zoologia 23 (3): 217–74. http://www.revistasusp.sibi.usp.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0066-78701973000100001&lng=pt. 
• Wood, Grace C (1981). "Asilidae". In McAlpine JF, Peterson BV, Shewell GE, Teskey HJ, Vockeroth JR, Wood DM. Manual of Nearctic Diptera. 1. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services (Canada). pp. 549–73. ISBN 0-660-10731-7. http://www.esc-sec.ca/aafcmonographs/manual_of_nearctic_diptera_vol_1.pdf. 

External links

• Database service for Asilidae – Robber flies
• Robber flies of North America – reference photographs, descriptions, natural history
• Family Asilidae at Bugguide.net
• Atlas of German Asilidae
• Key to the Asilidae of Central Europe
• Images (text in Japanese)
• Diptera.info
• Family description and images
• robber flies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
• bee killers, Mallophora spp. on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
• Courting-dance of the robber fly (gallery)
• Robberflies of Germany Excellent.Includes structure.