Asilidae

Scientific name: – Asilidae                              

Common name:
Robber fly, assassin flies

Distribution:

                Throughout India

Habit: – social groups

Habitat: – 

• Robber flies are most abundant in arid and sunny habitats
• They are generally observed along the border of forests, where the grassland begins, but rarely deep inside forests.
• In temperate regions a few species may occur in swampy areas and inside forests.

Defence: – They attack their prey by stabbing it with their short, strong proboscis and injecting it with saliva that paralyzes the victim.

Life Cycle: – 

• The life span of asilids is variable ranging from a week to six months.
• Oviposition occurs ten to eleven days after the emergence from pupae

Food: – Robber fly feed on a wide variety of other insects, including wasps, bees, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and other flies.

Threat: –

• The biggest threats to Asilidae are birds and other ambush hunters.
• Under-grazing
• Insecticide

Specific properties: – robber flies can inflict a painful bite if mishandled.