A Red-footed Cannibalfly (Promachus rufipes), a species of robber fly (Family Asilidae), was spotted during a recent photowalk at Huntley Meadows Park. This individual is a female.
Look closely at the full-size version of the following photo.
02 SEP 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Red-footed Cannibalfly (female)
Did you notice the robber fly is preying upon a bee?
02 SEP 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Red-footed Cannibalfly (female)
Robber flies feed mainly on other insects. (Whew, that’s a relief!)
The fly attacks its prey by stabbing it with its short, strong proboscis injecting the victim with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which very rapidly paralyze the victim and soon digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied material through the proboscis. Source Credit: Asilidae, from Wikipedia.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: female, Huntley Meadows Park, predator, prey, Promachus rufipes, Red-footed Cannibalfly, robber flies, wildlife photography
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