Giant Robber Fly
Promachus
Observed along Sycamore Canyon, Pajarito Mts., Sta. Cruz Co., Arizona, USA. 25 Sept. 2016.
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Ten or more species of Giant Robber Flies can be found in the sycamore woodland areas Arizona. Very efficient flying predators that fly after insects, grasps them out of the air with sharp, talon like tarsi, stabs them with a deadly sharp proboscis beak. By the time the robber returns to it's perch with it's heavy load it is subdued and ready to be eaten.
With the food from prey the adult fly will grow her eggs that will be laid into rotten logs or mulch-rich soil. Larvae from these eggs are predatory in the soil and mulch, obscured from view. Their role in these habitats are largely unknown.