Robberfly, male

Description:

Robberflies are adept hunters that catch prey in the air with their strong legs. They feed mostly on flying insects. Efferia aestuans is a medium to large sized Robberfly. Males have dark bodies with stripes on the thorax, a powdery blue/gray abdomen with some black. Knobby protrusion from tip of abdomen. Females have a pointed abdomen and have different markings on the abdomen. Female of this species: http://bugguide.net/node/view/599100/bgi...

Habitat:

Suburban backyard garden.

Notes:

This was one of several species of Robberfly that were active in the middle of June that I found in the back yard.