Grass Robber Fly

Description:

A really neat fly with extremely long hind legs and long spiny tarsi. This is a predatory Robber Fly of the family Asilidae, but an oddity from most other Asilids. These are in the subfamily Leptogastrinae. The mouthparts are predatory for piercing and the abdomen is very long and narrow. This one was about 1.5 cm in length. They also have very little facial hair, unlike the fluffy "beards" of most Asilids. A common pose at rest is almost vertical, with the head resting on the substrate.

Habitat:

This one was found on the ground at night under a street light. Semi-rural residential area, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico 2,200 meters.

Notes:

http://leptogastrinae.myspecies.info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptogaste... https://bugguide.net/node/view/62970 https://www.naturalista.mx/taxa/355285-L... http://leptogastrinae.myspecies.info/nod... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/27... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/77... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/19...