Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Laphria cinerea

Bee-Like Robber Fly - Laphria cinerea Robber Fly - Laphria cinerea Bee-like Robber Fly? - Laphria cinerea Asilid - Laphria cinerea - female unknown, possibly fly - Laphria cinerea Laphria cinerea - male Laphria cinerea Robberfly sp. - Laphria cinerea
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Orthorrhapha)
Superfamily Asiloidea
Family Asilidae (Robber Flies)
Subfamily Laphriinae
Genus Laphria (Bee-like Robber Flies)
Species cinerea (Laphria cinerea)
Explanation of Names
Laphria cinerea (Back 1904)
Size
10-16 mm
Identification
The legs of this species are covered in dense whitish pile, while the scutum is sparsely-haired, and often looks bare from some angles. This species shows pale pile on abdominal segments 5-6, and black scutellar bristles.
Range
e. US (NH-FL-MS-AR)(1)
Habitat
Pine forests. Recorded using pitch pine (Pinus rigida), shortleaf pine (P. echinata) and other hard pines(2).
Season
Mar-May in NC(3)
Food
Adults are perch hunters, flying up to capture flying insect prey.
Remarks
Laphria cinerea is found of sitting on pine trunks, or on pine logs on the ground. It is generally quite wary, and usually doesn't stay in one perch for very long.
Works Cited
1.Information on robber flies, compiled by F. Geller-Grimm
2.The Laphriine Robber Flies of North America
Bromley, Stanley Willard. 1934.
3.Insects of North Carolina
C.S. Brimley. 1938. North Carolina Department of Agriculture.