i heard this robberfly's buzzing .. then it literally dive bombed me and flew away .
it's buzzing stopped so i knew he'd landed somewhere ..
i couldnt find him at first then spotted him on the electric fence .. happy days .. :)
i know he was a male because of the clasper at the end of his abdomen .. :)
AFTER VOTING .. thankyou heaps for all the wonderful comments on this photo .. they are very much appreciated .. xx
and btw Ken .. Art Roflmao .. the electric fence was on .. i would get a shock if i touched it but not an insect/bird/etc because they're not grounding it .. but you knew that .. lol .. ;)
"Robber flies belong to the Asilidae family within the order Diptera. Like all true flies, robber flies have only 2 wings. They also have a distinctive hollow space between their 2 large compound eyes which distinguishes them from most other kinds of flies. They are powerfully built with stout, spiny legs and a dense moustache of stiff bristles on the face.
The name “robber flies” reflects their notoriously aggressive predatory habits where they attack in flight and feed on mostly on other flying insects such as wasps, bees, moths, beetles, plant hoppers, grasshoppers, dragonflies, etc.
Robber flies wait patiently on branches or logs and rush out to attack when suitable prey flies by. They use its bristly legs to intercept the prey by grasping it around the head or back. They then make use of its strong proboscis to inject the victim with saliva containing digestive enzymes that paralyze the victim and liquify the insides. The robberfly then suck the juicy meal through its proboscis.
Although robber flies are one of the most formidable predators in the insect world, they are sometimes prey for other larger creatures such as birds, spiders, assassin bugs, praying mantids, and even other bigger robber flies.
Robber flies exhibit minimal courtship behavior. Instead, the male pounces on the female much like an act of prey acquisition. Copulation is accomplished in a tail-to-tail fashion with the male and female genetalia interlocked. Flight is not completely inhibited during mating. Similar to dragonflies, the duo has no trouble flying around in this condition ie. the male generally towing the female backwards."
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Aerial Assassin on the Electric Fence
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