Robber Flies
Robber Flies
Asilidae
Insecta
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
1-3 years
Size
Medium
Diet
Insectivore
Activity
Diurnal
Social
Solitary
Biome
Temperate grassland
Range
Worldwide
Movement
Flight
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Venom
Status
Common

About

This bristly predator haunts open fields and meadows waiting for movement. It catches other insects in mid-air and injects a paralyzing toxin with its needle.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    egg
    A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
  2. 2.
    juvenile
    An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
  3. 3.
    subadult
    A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
  4. 4.
    adult
    Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Diptera
Family
Asilidae