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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Robber Flies (Asilidae) » Asilinae » Giant Robber Flies (Promachus)

Genus Promachus - Giant Robber Flies

Classification · Other Common Names · Pronunciation · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Red-footed Cannibalfly - Promachus rufipes - female

8016369 Asilid - Promachus hinei - female

Robberfly - Promachus vertebratus - female

Copulation Sequence - Promachus - male - female

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 Asilinae

Genus Promachus (Giant Robber Flies)

Other Common Names

Bee Killer

Pronunciation

prom'-uh-kus

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Promachus Loew 1848

Explanation of Names

Greek: promachos (προμαχος) 'defender, champion' (from pro 'before' + machesthai 'fight')(1)

Borror(2) translates promachus as "challenger"; and Wikipedia gives "who leads in battle", and lists several historical greek figures referred to by the name.

Numbers

22 spp. in our area, ~220 total(3)

Size

20-35 mm

Identification

Large robber flies with tiger-stripe pattern on abdomen

Range

worldwide, almost 3/4 of the spp. in the Old World tropics; in the New World, US to Chile (P. dimidiatus ranges into Canada), in our area mostly western (just 3 spp. occur in the Atlantic states)(3)

Habitat

Meadows, fields

Season

Jun-Aug in north; Jul-Sep in GA (several spp.)

Food

prey: insects, often Hymenoptera

Life Cycle

Eggs are typically laid on ground near grass roots. Larvae burrow into soil, feed on soil insects, roots, and decaying matter. Pupation is in an unlined cell in the soil.

See Also

Proctacanthus

Print References

Hine J.S. (1911) Robberflies of the genera Promachus and Proctacanthus. Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 4(2): 153-172

Internet References

Genus page(4)

Works Cited

1.	The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language

2.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.

3.	Information on robber flies, compiled by F. Geller-Grimm

4.	Herschel Raney's Random Natural Acts: Robber Flies

Contributed by Cotinis on 26 March, 2004 - 10:43pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 21 July, 2016 - 12:01pm

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