Cops+&+Robber+Flies

=Asilidae (Robber Flies)=

** Taxonomy/Classification: **
//Kingdom:// Animalia //Phylum:// Arthropoda //Class:// Insecta //Order:// Diptera //Suborder:// Brachycera //Infraorder:// Asilomorpha //Superfamily:// Asiloidea //Family:// Asilidae

====The typical robber fly (Figure 1 to the right) is also known as an Assassin Fly (not to be confused with an Assassin Bug. The suborder Brachycera represents a division of the Dipteran order, and it contains ~120 families. It's an extremely diverse suborder with many morphological innovations. The name "Brachycera" literally means; "shortened horn". This refers to their antennae, which are reduced with fewer than 8 flagellomeres. ====

The characteristics of robber flies are as follows;

 * ====As previously stated, the reduction of the antennal flagellomeres to 8 or fewer ====
 * ====Wing veins forming a nearly closed cell cup ====
 * ====Larval mandibles are subdivided into two distinct parts ====
 * ====Male genitalia are separated (1) ====
 * ====Medium to large sized predatory flies ====
 * ====Top of the head is depressed between the eyes ====
 * ====Body can vary from extremely hairy to nearly bare, face is usually "bearded" ====
 * ====Elongated body is typical ====
 * ====Some mimic bees/wasps (see: Batesian Mimicry) ====

**Habitat:**
====The Asilidae are generally found in open, sunny, dry or even arid habitats. They prefer open or scattered vegetation. Their biodiversity is lower in forested ecosystems, where they do however tend to concentrate in margins. In these situations, they use various species of shrubs and other plants to help aid in their predation while they ambush. (3) ====

====There have been specific studies that show direct correlations between the amount of flower compositions around the robber flies and their predatory behavior, generally increasing the methods of predation. (3) ====

====Robber flies tend to exhibit a very diverse array of feeding strategies. Since they are masters of flight, they can capture their prey mid-flight. They have also been known to ambush their prey. This type of behavior implies that they have a highly advanced sense of sight compared to their dipterous relatives. Once the robber flies capture their prey, they inject them with their saliva, which contains active components that paralyze the prey. They try to pierce the prey in the points of least resistance(such as eyes or in between the head and thorax/thorax and abdomen). The saliva performs two functions: paralyzing the victim as well as proteolytic enzymes breaking up their internal tissues, so that the robber flies can then feed by sucking the internal fluids of the prey through their alimentary canal. ([|3]) ====

====Not only are they predators in their adult stage, but also their larval state. Not much is known on their larval state, but they do transition between four different larval stages and they consume other insects even in their larval stages. They are within slight competition of their predecessor adult generation. ====

<[]>
====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(2)"Family Asilidae - Robber Flies." Welcome to BugGuide.Net! - BugGuide.Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.<[]> ====