Blepharotes coriarius
| Blepharotes coriarius | |
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| Blepharotes coriarius with beetle prey | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Asilidae |
| Genus: | Blepharotes |
| Species: | B. coriarius
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| Binomial name | |
| Blepharotes coriarius Wiedemann, 1830
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Blepharotes coriarius, the giant yellow robber fly, is a species of large predatory fly from Australia in the family Asilidae (robber flies). It was described by the German naturalist Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann in 1830.[1]
Description
[edit]Blepharotes coriarius is one of the largest known robber flies.[2] It can measure up to 48mm in length (including proboscis).[2] Both sexes have orange abdominal tergites, with patches of black setae along the sides of segments 1-5 and mostly white setae along the sides of segments 6 and 7.[3]
Distribution
[edit]The giant yellow robber fly is found in the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.[4]
Behaviour
[edit]Adults can be found from December to February.[3] They are usually seen resting on dead plants, with the body aligned vertically and the head pointing upwards.[3] Insect prey are taken in the air after the fly launches itself from a vantage point.[3] Recorded prey items include beetles, bees, wasps and flying ants.[3] Feeding time varies from less than two minutes (for a large ant) up to 17 minutes (for a scarab beetle).[3]
Males of B. coriarius attempt to mate with any member of the same species (whether male or female) that enters their territory, which is usually the area around a dead tree.[3] Intruding males are driven off by this.[3] A few minutes after successful copulation, females begin laying eggs into gaps of dead eucalypts, or into cracks in the ground at the base of such trees.[3] She generally begins oviposition in the top soil, before gradually flying up the tree, depositing more eggs as she goes.[3]
Pupae first emerge from the soil at the beginning of December.[3] The pupal cases are around 35mm long, with reddish brown spines and processes glistening reddish brown to dark brown.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Australian Faunal Directory". Australian Government: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ a b Bromley, S.W. (September 1927). "The Genus Microstylum in Madagascar (Diptera: Asilidae)". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 53 (3): 201–207. JSTOR 25077179 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Weber, Gerhard; Lavigne, Robert (2004). "Notes on the behaviour of Blepharotes coriarius (WIEDEMANN, 1830) (Diptera: Asilidae) with a description of the pupal case". Studia dipterologica. 11 (1): 13–21 – via Academia.
- ^ "Blepharotes coriarius". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 8 April 2023.