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Photo#218530
Mexican Robber Fly - Archilestris magnificus

Mexican Robber Fly - Archilestris magnificus
West of Benson, Cochise County, Arizona, USA
August 26, 2008
Size: 3" or so
I do not know what sub-species to post this to. These were shot on 08-26-2008 and this information is from a previous submission to www.whatsthatbug.com in Sept. 2007:
"I think it might be a Brachonid (parasite) Wasp. Anybody know for sure? It is quite large
(maybe 2-3"), orange body, dark wings, white face, short red antenae), and CREEPY!
Here is the latest dialog between whatsthatbug.com and bugguide.com:
Hi Daniel, I sent the pics to Eric Fisher, who knows everything about robbers (only the flying ones).
He told me it is Archilestris magnificus (Walker), a Mexican species which has been only a few times collected
in Arizon, but nowhere else in the US... It is not really a hanging thief, but it sure looks like
one. Great catch! Cheers Martin Hauser

Comment: (09/26/2007)
Wow! Hey, I think a friend of mine got one across the border in
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico back in 1989. We were on vacation together,
and this big robber fly was trying to get out of a storefront window.
So my friend paid the dude for the fly! LOL! Wish I would have tried
to outbid him:-) Hope we can get these images migrated over to
Bugguide, as I'm sure it would be a new genus and species....but I
also know how busy you are, Daniel. Maybe Eric Fisher can take a
look at our Bugguide asilids and confirm IDs?
Eric Eaton"

Images of this individual: tag all
Mexican Robber Fly - Archilestris magnificus Mexican Robber Fly - Archilestris magnificus Mexican Robber Fly - Archilestris magnificus

Arch
This is the big Archilestris. As noted above. One of the finest insects in North America. Up there with Microstylum and the big Mallophora.

 
Saw some
I saw some in the collection in Sacramento, they blew me away! I was expecting something a bit bigger than Promachus, but those things were enormous!!!! By far one of the coolest insects I've ever seen!

Cool find
I'd love to get one of these!

 
Mexican Robber Fly
Thanks!
I was so thrilled to see this guy in my backyard for the second year
in a row.
I walked over to the Bird of Paradise bush he was in, thinking I was going to shoot a Horse Lubber Grasshopper...what a wonderful surprise.

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