by Matthew Cobb
UPDATE: Matthew sent this computer-generated image of the robberfly’s venom system:
#worldrobberflyday high-resolution synchrotron micro computed tomography of the robber fly venom system. https://t.co/Ttcsrx8lYw pic.twitter.com/PRjBCOC80d
— Stephan Drukewitz (@Stephan_HolgerD) April 30, 2018
In case you didn’t know, today is World Robberfly Day on Twitter, so entomologists are posting pictures of these fabulous, chunky and aggressive flies, the apex predator of the Diptera. Go over and check out the photos yourself – here are just a few.
Something for #worldrobberflyday – taken in SW Turkey. Plus @flygirlNHM blog – https://t.co/fsozatQU2Y pic.twitter.com/dL9N3CovaP
— NHM Science (@NHM_Science) April 30, 2018
Here's a bad-ass Laphria for #worldrobberflyday from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. #Yellowstone #insects #Diptera pic.twitter.com/iZxj0emHqr
— Dr Bob (@GYEInsects) April 30, 2018
I guess no order is save from capture by asilids #WorldRobberflyDay. @BybeeLab #UFBugs pic.twitter.com/zGOv0dPAPS
— Oliver Keller Ph.D. (@dr_firefly) April 30, 2018
Gotta love Robber Flies if for no other reason, they surely came from the imagination of Dr. Seuss! #WorldRobberFlyDay #becurious #BeKind pic.twitter.com/LfVoqB3I8N
— Cri 🕊🐝🐜😷⚽ (@CrawliesWithCri) April 30, 2018
Some of the robber flies I've collected over the years across the USA. They are a beautiful, eclectic group of #flies #worldrobberflyday #Asilidae pic.twitter.com/UmayVAejjG
— Dave Denlinger (@DaveDenlinger) April 30, 2018
Happy #worldrobberflyday pic.twitter.com/va1JoC0tUJ
— Dave Hayes (@Gnarly_Larvae) April 30, 2018
Did I hear it was #WorldRobberFlyDay ? I’m sure the entomologists are enjoying it more than this honeybee! If I had to pick a favorite Dipteran family it would be #Asilidae . It’s just phenomenal to watch them hunt pic.twitter.com/CJSVfokDw9
— Evan Waite (@Evantomology) April 30, 2018
Saropogon combustus in the prairie of eastern #Colorado #WorldRobberflyDay big and fierce pic.twitter.com/fKMIQnKOJp
— SESevers (@edge_nature) April 30, 2018
Bee-like Robber Fly with Ophion sp. prey – Laphria fernaldi July 2013 #WorldRobberflyDay #Colorado pic.twitter.com/enGkeK6fgV
— SESevers (@edge_nature) April 30, 2018
My contribution to world Robberfly day #worldrobberflyday pic.twitter.com/3FWAF3cwhu
— Jo Hood (@Jo_birding) April 30, 2018
happy #worldrobberflyday to all my entomology buddies out there. I am still learning all about these wonderful flies. Hopefully this time next year I will have better pictures of them then I have now, until now you have a wonderful photo by the V. talented @ThomasShahan pic.twitter.com/bseUUaqy7T
— Francis (@Francis_ento) April 30, 2018
And here is a photo of a rather hungry Stripe-legged Robberfly Dioctria baumhaueri in recognition of #worldrobberflyday! pic.twitter.com/JB0eLmU3p7
— David Element (@davidelement1) April 30, 2018
So hard to find just the right card for this day.
Stunning images of these amazing creatures. Thanks.
Cool.
For once in my life I sort of wish I posted on Tweeter. Got two interesting pictures of robber flies being bad-ass.
Send ’em in, Mark! – MC
Poor odonates!
Super
When I was 15, our family was on vacation and at a campground in north central Pennsylvania. I was wearing a sweatshirt. I bent over and a robberfly must have used that moment to land on my back. When I straightened up, its feet got tangled in the fabric and it bit me through the sweatshirt. Ouch! Worse than a horsefly bite. I would hate to be bitten on my bare skin by a robber fly.
The eyes are mesmerizing…I’m mesmerized.
Surely something only an entomologist could love? 😉
And ‘robber fly’ must be euphemism of the week. ‘Assassin fly’ or ‘killer fly’ or ‘murderer fly’ would surely be more fitting…
cr
P.S. Insofar as some of them kill wasps, though, I guess they’re not all bad. The enemy of my enemy…
cr
It is all rather wonderful. In my seventh decade [age 61] I’m beginning to appreciate, but not love, the non-furry vast majority of organisms.
The various pictorial contributors to WEIT have done that.
Ta!
Asilids are neat. Thanks for the great photos.
I recall once witnessing a robberfly snatching a honey bee out of the air, falling to the ground (landing on its back for some reason) and biting the bee. The bee just seemed to deflate. Interesting, yet horrifying at a certain level.