Tribe Asilini - Common Robber Flies
Family Asilidae, Asilinae
This page contains pictures and information about Common Robber Flies in tribe Asilini, subfamily Asilinae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Most Robust flies have noticeable "beard" of setae around the face. It is believed that they serve as protection to their face from damage by their prey.
- Robber flies in this group have the wing vein R2+3 ending on R1, i.e., marginal cell closed, and with slender antennal style. They are medium to large in size. They are common in Brisbane bushlands. Most of them look similar and hard to be identified to species level.
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- Robber Flies in subfamily Asilinae, tribe Asilini can be recognized by the following characteristics;
- - antenna with one arista,
- - closed marginal cell on wings.
- Robber Flies in genus Cerdistus
are small to medium in size. They are less hairy on face and body than
other robber flies in this tribe. There are large number of Australian species in this
genus, however, only a few of them have been described.
- Black-legged Slender Robber Fly
- Cerdistus sp., body length 15mm, male, female
- This species is very co-operative with the camera man, they will not move even if we come very close. Notice its slender antennal style. Please check this page for more information.
- Yellow Slender Robber Fly
- Cerdistus, body length 15mm, male, female
- This robber fly is grey-yellow in colour, wings tinted with reddish brown. Legs are black with yellowish-brown. Its antenna are slender style. It is medium in size, usually found resting on tips of stems. We have more information in this page.
- Yellow-legged Slender Robber Fly
- Cerdistus sp., body length 15mm, male, female
- In general the robber fly is grey and black in colour. All legs are black with tibia in yellow. Please check this page for more information.
- Black Slender Robber Fly
- Cerdistus sp., body length 15mm, male, female
- This robber fly like to rest on bare soil, rock surface and sometimes found resting on termite mount. This species is very co-operative with the camera man, they will not move even if we come very closely. More pictures and information can be found in this page.
- Brown Slender Robber Fly
- ? Cerdistus sp., body length 15mm
- This robber fly is grey and black in colours with legs black and dark brown. Please check this page for more information about this robber fly.
Genus Colepia
- Robber Flies in this genus can be distinguished from other genera by the mid tarsus without long anterior bristles near apex of each segment, giving tarsus an asymmetrical bristle arrangement.
- Red-legged Robber Fly
- Colepia malleola, body length 30mm, male, female
- The Red-legged Robber Fly has the very hairy abdomen. The abdomen is black when viewed dorsally. All legs are in deep red colour. The antennae are black. Wings are hyaline with brownish veins. Please check this page for more information.
- Red Robber Fly
- Colepia rufiventrisbody length 30mm, male, female
- The Robber Fly is reddish in colour. All legs are reddish brown with hind tibia in yellow. On the mid tarsus long anterior bristles near apex of each segment are absent, giving tarsus an asymmetrical bristle arrangement. Please check this page for more information.
Genus Dolopus
- Robber Flies in this genus usually have microtrichia of wing usually not extending past 2nd submarginal cell. They are large size robber flies.
- Large Brown Robber Fly
- Dolopus rubrithorax, body length 30mm
- This is a large dark brown Robber fly. There are black and pale yellow hairs on its face with black antenna on head. There are black median stripe on thorax with yellow pruinose. On legs there are the black femora and reddish-orange femur with black tarsi. Wings are hyaline with brown veins. There are the microtrichia on wing tips. Abdomen is grey-yellow with black tip. Please check this page for more information.
- Line-legged Brown Robber Fly
- Dolopus simulans, body length 30mm, male, female
- The Robber Fly is mostly brown in colour, with reddish-brown legs and clean brown wings. On the femur there are the black anterior stripe. Its abdomen is greyish yellow. Its mouthparts are the triangular proboscis which insert into prey and suck the juice. For more information please check this page.
Genus Mauropteron
- Robber Flies in this genus can be distinguished from other genera with a dense covering of microtrichia on wing membrane
- Dusted Robber Fly
- Mauropteron farinum, body length 30mm
- The Robber Fly has the dense covering of microtrichia on wing membrane which makes its wings look dusty. Please check this page for more information.
Genus Zosteria
Genus Cerdistus - Slender Robber Flies
- Genus Zosteria is a large group. They are from medium to large in
body size.
- Dark Robber Fly
- Zosteria calignea, body length 30mm
- Dark Robber Fly is large in size. The abdomen is black when viewed dorsally and hairy down under. All legs are entirely black colour. The antennae are black as well. Wings are hyaline with brownish black veins. Please check this page for more information.
- Orange Robber Fly
- Zosteria fulvipubescens, body length 25mm
- This robber fly is orange-brown in colours with reddish brown eyes. The antennae and all legs are orange-yellow. There the yellow bristles and setae on face. The abdomen is greyish-yellow with black end tip. Please check this page for more information.
- Line-legged Rubber Fly
- Zosteria lineata, body length 25mm
- This Robber Fly has the dark brown stripe on each femur of legs, so we call this robber fly Line-legged Rubber Fly. This is a yellowish robber fly with hyaline brown wings. There are the white-yellow bristles on face. The antennae are orange-yellow. Please check this page for more information.
- Common Brown Robber Fly
- Zosteria rosevillensis, body length 25mm
- This Brown Robber Fly is the most commonly seen Robber Fly in Brisbane bushland. Their mouthpart is the large pointed proboscis. Their thorax and legs are hairy. Their abdomen are long and thin. More pictures and information about this species can be found in this page.
- Reddish Robber Fly
- Zosteria rubens, body length 25mm
- This robber fly is orange-brown in colour with black eyes. There are black stripes on thorax. The antennae are also black in colour. Abdomen and all legs are orange-brown. More information and pictures can be found on this page.
- Reference:
- 1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 758.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p363.
- 3. A revision of Neoaratus Ricardo, with the description of six allied new genera from the Australian region (Diptera : Asilidae : Asilini) - G Daniels, 1987.
- 4. Asilini - Australian Asilidae - Dr. Robert Lavigne, Honorary Research Associate, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA.
- 5. Family ASILIDAE Robber Flies - Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory.
- 6. Robber flies of the world. The genera of the family Asilidae - Hull, F.M. 1962, U. S. National Museum Bulletin 224. (Pts. 1 & 2). U. S. Govt. Printing Office.
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