Scarlet Robber Fly vs Hawaiian Picture-wing Fly (Heteroneura)

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Scarlet Robber Fly Hawaiian Picture-wing Fly (Heteroneura)
Scientific Name Laphria flava Drosophila heteroneura
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Asilidae Drosophilidae
Size 15-25 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Predators Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Oceania (Hawaii - Big Island)
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Scarlet Robber Fly

A bumblebee-mimicking robber fly covered in dense golden-yellow hair. It preys on insects visiting flowers at woodland edges.

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Did You Know?

Its dense yellow pile makes it one of the most convincing bumblebee mimics among robber flies.

Hawaiian Picture-wing Fly (Heteroneura)

A remarkable Hawaiian picture-wing fly famous for its hammer-shaped head, found only on Hawaii Island. Males use their broad, flattened heads in head-butting contests for mating rights. It breeds in decaying Clermontia bark.

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Did You Know?

Males have uniquely hammer-shaped heads that they use as battering rams, headbutting rival males in combat over territory and mates.