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

canis complex

Small Robber for ID - Laphria Robber Fly - Laphria canis complex - Laphria - male - female Eating - Laphria - female Robber fly with beetle - Laphria - female Laphria canis complex - Laphria Robber Fly - Laphria Robber Flies – Found in woods near river in West Michigan - Laphria - male - female Robber Fly sp. - Laphria
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
No Taxon canis complex
Explanation of Names
photos that not conclusively identified to species based on genitalia should be kept here
Numbers
Included here are Laphria canis, L. sicula, L. winnemana, at least two undescribed eastern species, plus L. franciscana (western, identifiable based on range). One of the undescribed eastern species was confused with franciscana in the past. Bullington (unpublished thesis, 1986), considered L. sicula, L. ithypyga, and another undescribed species to be members of Choerades based on genitalic structure, while he moved the remaining species in this group plus L. index and L. scorpio to a new genus.
Size
7−12 mm; some up to 16 mm ―Herschel Raney's comment.
Identification
females may be impossible to distinguish from photographs.
Antennae help distinguish from the plumper Atomosia
Habitat
prefer the understory leaf tops of low plants. Rarely found away from tree cover.
Season
Summer
See Also
Atomosia spp. −also small and dark