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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Robber Flies (Asilidae) » Stenopogoninae » Prospectors (Ablautus) » Texas Prospector (Ablautus rufotibialis)
Photo#500251
Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis
Copyright © 2011 Jerry Friedman

Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis
Española, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, USA
March 23, 2011
Size: 9-10 mm long
This has to be the end of my obsession with these things (except for a picture of one more individual). I'm hoping these angles, which I haven't gotten before, will allow an identification, but I'll try to get others if they'd help.

I was wondering why the two I photographed today were more cooperative than they usually are. For this one, maybe because it has prey? Is that an aphid?

Images of this individual: tag all
Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis Pale robber with black bands and circles on abdomen - Ablautus rufotibialis
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Contributed by Jerry Friedman on 23 March, 2011 - 4:10pm
Last updated 18 June, 2012 - 4:51pm

Moved
Moved from Ablautus, according to identification by Torsten Dikow.
… Jerry Friedman, 18 June, 2012 - 4:51pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Robber Flies.

Thanks for the identification. I've been trying to use a key by Wilcox from 1966 and mimus seems to be close, but it depends on too many things I can't tell from my photos or just don't know enough about.

Anyway, probably a number of pictures of this species are frass, so if an expert doesn't tell me what to keep within a few months or something, maybe I'll get rid of some.
… Jerry Friedman, 24 March, 2011 - 2:16pm login or register to post comments

 
Jerry -- I can't take this sp
Jerry -- I can't take this species beyond genus from the photos. Similar to mimus, except that sp. with thorax more brown and mystax black in lower third. Also, there are some new spp. known from N. Mex.
… Eric Fisher, 25 March, 2011 - 12:25am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks again.
I'll look for those points of difference from mimus. I hope I didn't sound like I was trying to nag you. One thing I learned from using that key was what identification characters I couldn't get in my photos.

It's interesting that new species are known. I had enough trouble with the key that I won't be surprised at all if this is one of them.
… Jerry Friedman, 25 March, 2011 - 12:50pm login or register to post comments

Yes, this is an Ablautus sp.
Yes, this is an Ablautus sp.
… Eric Fisher, 24 March, 2011 - 11:43am login or register to post comments

Moved for expert attention
Moved from ID Request.

Can't help you much with the Robber, but that does, indeed, appear to be an aphid it's eating. :)
… Ken Wolgemuth, 23 March, 2011 - 5:29pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks
One down, one to go :-)
… Jerry Friedman, 23 March, 2011 - 9:52pm login or register to post comments

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