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Flies of Zihuatanejo

ORDER DIPTERA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Flies Order (Diptera)

-Brachyceran Flies (Suborder Brachycera)​

-Orthorrhaphan Flies (Infraorder Orthorrhapha)

-Superfamily Asiloidea

-Robber Flies (Family Asilidae)​

-Subfamily Dasypogoninae

-Tribe Lastaurini

-Hanging-Thieves (Genus Diogmites)

-Diogmites sallei


Diogmites is a genus of mainly neotropical flies in the family Asilidae or robber flies. They are are predators, often hanging by one or two legs while they consume their prey. Like other robber flies, they possess large compound eyes, a stiff piercing proboscis, and a bristly “mystax” that protects the face during prey capture. After capturing prey in midair—usually other flying insects such as flies, bees, or small wasps—they return to a perch and hang beneath it, holding the prey with their other legs while inserting their proboscis to inject digestive enzymes and consume the liquefied tissues.

Diogmites Hanging-Thieves

Diogmites (Genus)

Description

  • Diogmites is a genus of robber flies in the family Asilidae, commonly known as hanging thieves. Species are generally medium-sized to large, slender to robust flies with long legs, large eyes, and a prominent piercing proboscis. Many have brown, grey, or reddish-brown bodies with contrasting bands of pale hairs. They are especially recognisable for their habit of hanging from vegetation by their legs while holding captured prey.

Range

  • Species of Diogmites occur primarily in the Americas, with the greatest diversity in North and Central America. Numerous species occur in Mexico, and Diogmites robber flies can be encountered in the Zihua area.

Habitat

  • Usually found in warm, open or semi-open habitats, including tropical woodland, forest edges, scrub, grasslands, agricultural areas, and disturbed vegetation. Adults commonly perch on exposed leaves, stems, twigs, fences, and other elevated surfaces, from which they launch rapid flights to intercept passing insects.

Diet

  • Adults are active predators that capture a wide variety of flying insects, including flies, beetles, wasps, bees, and other arthropods. Prey is seized with the legs and pierced with the proboscis, through which saliva and digestive enzymes are introduced before the liquefied tissues are consumed.

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