Real facts about Robber flies
May 19, 2022
➤ Robber fly are well known as assassin flies.
➤ There more than 7000 described species found all over the world.
➤ Robber flyies are so Powerful, their skin covered with short stiff hairs.
➤ Robber fly were feed on other insects.
➤ They are so notorios and agreesive predators , that's why they called " Robber ".
➤ They have a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx, so they easily sucks nutrients of their prey.
➤ Robber flies paralyzes their victims by injecting some toxics with their sharp and strong proboscis.
➤ Robber flies wait in a concealed position and took surprise attack .
➤ attacks a very wide range of prey, including other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, various bees, ants, dragon and damselflies, ichneumon wasps, grasshoppers, and some spiders.
➤ They have spiny powerful legs with ability to catch their prey on flight.
➤ Robber flies have three eye , third one placed between two big compound eyes.
➤ Robber flies have mystax, dense mustache.
➤ Many Robber flies have long, tapering abdomens, sometimes with a sword-like ovipositor.
➤ Some species of Robber flies ,like Laphria, are fat-bodied bumblebee mimics.
➤ Female robber flies deposit whitish-colored eggs on low-lying plants and grasses, or in crevices within soil, bark, or wood.
➤ most species of Robber flies lay their eggs in masses, which are then covered with a chalky protective coating.
➤ After hatching, robber fly larvae generally seem to live in soil, rotting wood, leaf mold, and similar materials.
➤ Most Robber flies larvae are detrivorous, Means they feed on decaying or dead . While some larvae wre being predatory .
➤ Robber flies overwinter as larvae and pupate in the soil. Pupae migrate to the soil surface and emerge as adults.
➤ Complete development ranges from 1 to 3 years, depending on species and environmental conditions.
➤ A study of robber fly mating behavior reported a case of thanatosis, or feigning death. In this species, males initiate mating by grasping a female. However, if the female perceives that he does not meet her hopes or expectations, she goes limp, pretending to be dead. A non-responsive body does not provide the stimuli that he needs to proceed with mating, so he literally drops her and flies away.
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References
Wikipedia -https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilidae
Colorado education - https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2020/02/28/robber-flies-are-fierce-predators-and-resourceful-lovers
