Stripe-legged Robber Fly Dioctria hyalipennis
The Striped-legged Robber Fly looks intriging enough. It has a wasp-like body. It is a small species. Males reach some 6 to 8 millimeters, females are around 1 centimeter. You may think it is easy to identify this species by the shape of the body. You are wrong, for in the Genus Dioctria there are more species build like this. In my country there are 3 species like this. Often the female's belly is very reddish, which does make her stand out. The males are more difficult to identify. Luckily the tarsi (the feet) always give them away (at least where I live), for they are yellow. The Striped-legged Robber Fly hunts for sawflies and parasitic wasps mainly, but will also attack other flies. It lives in Europe, Asia and Northern America.
