A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Efferia aestuans
Adult robber flies attack other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, various bees, ants, dragon and damselflies, Ichneumon wasps, grasshoppers, and some spiders. The short, strong proboscis is used to stab and inject victims with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which paralyze and digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied meal through the proboscis.
Mason Farm Biological Reserve
Spotted on Aug 2, 2012
Submitted on Aug 26, 2012
4 Comments
Have not seen one yet.
The toxin must be really strong, that ,it liquifies the prey!!
Beautiful series
I saw this fly on a bench between an open meadow-like space and a wooded area of the reserve. I'm terrible at measurements but it was rather large, maybe an inch. BugGuide ID'd it for me; I thought it was a pretty fly.
Where exactly can you find these and how big are they?