Dioctria atricapilla | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Diptera |
Family: | Asilidae |
Genus: | Dioctria |
Species: | D. atricapilla |
Binomial name | |
Dioctria atricapilla | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Dioctria atricapilla, the violet black-legged robber fly, is a species of robber fly in the subfamily Dasypogoninae. This 9- to 12-millimeter long insect has a wingspan of roughly 7 to 9 mm [3] [4] and short, three-segmented antennae. [5] It's a predatory insect, feeding mainly on smaller flies and predatory hymenopterans. [6] It primarily thrives in grassland, and is seen from May to July. [6]
Like all robber flies, the violet black-legged robber fly feed by perching on lower stems of grasses and attack prey as it flies by. The larvae usually grow up in dung piles or decaying organic matter, but they can also be in regular soil. [5]
Courting behavior involves the male leading the courtship dance in front of the female. If she isn't impressed, she'll rapidly move her wings or fly away; otherwise the male will begin copulating. [7]
There are 24 locations in the United Kingdom where it's a protected species, mostly in England. [8] It can be found throughout European and east Palearctic grasslands. [4]
Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- di- "two", and πτερόν pteron "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced mechanosensory organs known as halteres, which act as high-speed sensors of rotational movement and allow dipterans to perform advanced aerobatics. Diptera is a large order containing an estimated 1,000,000 species including horse-flies, crane flies, hoverflies, mosquitoes and others, although only about 125,000 species have been described.
Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
A crane fly is any member of the dipteran superfamily Tipuloidea, which contains the living families Cylindrotomidae, Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Tipulidae, as well as several extinct families. "Winter crane flies", members of the family Trichoceridae, are sufficiently different from the typical crane flies of Tipuloidea to be excluded from the superfamily Tipuloidea, and are placed as their sister group within Tipulomorpha.
Horse-flies and deer flies are true flies in the family Tabanidae in the insect order Diptera. The adults are often large and agile in flight. Only female horseflies bite land vertebrates, including humans, to obtain blood. They prefer to fly in sunlight, avoiding dark and shady areas, and are inactive at night. They are found all over the world except for some islands and the polar regions. Both horse-flies and botflies (Oestridae) are sometimes referred to as gadflies.
The Asiloidea comprise a very large superfamily insects in the order Diptera, the true flies. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring worldwide. It includes the family Bombyliidae, the bee flies, which are parasitoids, and the Asilidae, the robber flies, which are predators of other insects.
The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects their expert predatory habits; they feed mainly or exclusively on other insects and, as a rule, they wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight.
Empididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide in all the biogeographic realms but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empidoidea, and exhibit a wide range of forms but are generally small to medium-sized, non-metallic and rather bristly.
Salminus brasiliensis is a large, predatory characiform freshwater fish found in central and east-central South America. Despite having Salminus in its name, the dorado is not related to any species of salmon, nor to the saltwater fish also called dorado. It is very popular among recreational anglers and supports large commercial fisheries.
Bombylius major is a parasitic bee mimic fly. B. major is the most common type of fly within the Bombylius genus. The fly derives its name from its close resemblance to bumblebees and are often mistaken for them.
Syritta pipiens, sometimes called the thick-legged hoverfly, is one of the most common species in the insect family Syrphidae. This fly originates from Europe and is currently distributed across Eurasia and North America. They are fast and nimble fliers, and their larvae are found in wet, rotting organic matter such as garden compost, manure, and silage. The species is also commonly found in human-created environments such as most farmland, gardens, and urban parks, wherever there are flowers. This species is an important part of its native ecosystem as adult Syritta pipiens flies are critical pollinators for a variety of flowering plants and the species supports parasitism by various parasitic wasp species. Thus, they play an important role in environmental functionality, and can serve as bio-indicators, in which their abundance can reflect the health of the environment. Syritta pipiens looks like many predatory hoverfly species, yet is not predatory.
Blepharotes coriarius, the giant yellow robber fly, is a species of large predatory fly from Australia in the family Asilidae. It was described by the German naturalist Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann in 1830.
A wide variety of animals have names describing them as black-legged.
Empis tessellata is a species of dance fly, in the fly family Empididae. It is included in the subgenus Euempis.
Trichopoda pennipes is a species of feather-legged fly in the dipteran family Tachinidae.
Neoitamus cyanurus, the common awl robberfly, is a species of 'robber fly' belonging to the family Asilidae.
Neoitamus melanopogon, commonly known by the name common robber fly, is a species of fly of Asilidae in the genus Neoitamus, found in both the principal islands of New Zealand.
Dioctria bicincta is a species of robber fly classified in the subfamily Dasypogoninae of the family Asilidae.
Dioctria rufipes, the common red-legged robberfly, is a species of robber fly in the subfamily Dasypogoninae of the family Asilidae.
Mallophora ruficauda is a species of parasitic robber fly in the family Asilidae, endemic to South and Central America. Like other robber flies, M. ruficauda is known for its aggressive behavior and predation upon other insects, especially bees. M. ruficauda mimics a bumblebee to fool predators into thinking it has a painful sting and is not worth eating.
Dioctria hyalipennis is a Holarctic species of robber fly in the family Asilidae.
Media related to Dioctria atricapilla at Wikimedia Commons