Europe
Fine-art photographic collection
Dioctria rufipes
A red-legged robber fly that intercepts other insects in mid-air and kills them with a stabbing beak.
About this species
Common Red-legged Robberfly
Dioctria rufipes(Scopoli, 1763)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Dioctria rufipes is a European robber fly that hunts from exposed perches. It launches at passing insects, grips them with bristled legs and injects saliva through a rigid proboscis.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Diptera · Asilidae · Dioctria
Accepted species. GBIF and UK sources differ in the historical attribution of the authority; this profile follows the current GBIF catalogue. · checked 2026-07-15
EuropeBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Sunny grassland, scrub edges and other flower-rich open habitats.
Diurnal predator during the warmer months.
Predatory on other insects.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The attack can begin as an aerial interception, with the fly leaving a perch, seizing another flying insect and returning with it in the legs.
Its saliva contains enzymes that immobilise prey and liquefy internal tissues, allowing the robber fly to drink the contents through the piercing mouthpart.
The dense facial moustache of bristles helps shield the eyes and head from the legs, jaws or sting of prey held immediately in front of the face.