BIG Robber fly - Proctacanthus heros - BugGuide.Net

HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData

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

Photo#71413

Copyright © 2006 Tony DiTerlizzi

BIG Robber fly - Proctacanthus heros

Palm Beach County, Florida, USA
August 14, 2006
Size: ~5 cm

These monster robber flies have been somewhat abundant on my hikes through this trail. You can hear them buzzing before they zip in from the canopy.

This photo was taken at the Frenchman's Forest Natural Area.

tag · login or register to post comments

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 18 August, 2006 - 8:54am
Last updated 31 August, 2006 - 12:27pm

Moved

Moved from Proctacanthus.

… Tony DiTerlizzi, 31 August, 2006 - 12:27pm

login or register to post comments

Moved

Moved from Robber Flies. Thanks for the info guys, once I get my hands on a metric ruler, I can guesstimate the body size more accurately. But I've shot Proctacanthus before, and these are the biggest I've ever seen...In fact, I'll add an additional shot of another individual...

… Tony DiTerlizzi, 18 August, 2006 - 11:27am

login or register to post comments

I believe

this is Proctacanthus rufus. You have two big red jobs like this in Florida, just as we do here in Arkansas, P. rufus and P hinei. P. hinei, at least by us, is an animal of sandy beaches and open areas along a river or canal; P. rufus is more likely on a marshy, overgrown wide area along a creek going through woods, more the sort of place you seem to be describing. The male P. rufus also has narrower genitalia than P. hinei, but these relative things are not too helpful when you only have one to look at.

Nice photo of a very nice robber.

… norman and cheryl lavers, 18 August, 2006 - 10:40am

login or register to post comments

Hmm.

I think this may be the SE focused Proctacanthus heros Norm. They are even larger than the other species. And they like these forested trails. P hinei and rufus are darker legged and even I haven't seen one of these get to 45 mm or larger.

… Herschel Raney, 18 August, 2006 - 10:48am

login or register to post comments

Well,

I'll defer to someone with more experience with all three than I have (but I'll wait for a chance to get even, so be very careful from now on).

… norman and cheryl lavers, 18 August, 2006 - 11:08am

login or register to post comments

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version

Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact