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robber fly
noun
- any of numerous swift-flying, often large, dipterous insects of the family Asilidae that are predaceous on other insects.
robber fly
noun
- any of the predatory dipterous flies constituting the family Asilidae , which have a strong bristly body with piercing mouthparts and which prey on other insects Also calledbee killerassassin fly
Word History and Origins
Origin of robber fly1
Example Sentences
Many insects perform a service to the environment — including ladybugs, honeybees and other pollinators — and predator bugs, such as robber flies, eat other bugs.
The action heroes of the animal world, they tend to be flashy and attention-getting, whether they’re large like cheetahs or tiny like robber flies.
For example, we have a robber fly caught in 1680 by the queen’s gardener at Hampton Court Palace, near London.
Those authors also saw turtles eating caterpillars and robber flies.
Now, instead of hatching a butterfly, out comes this robber fly, a long, lean, sleek-looking fellow that has been living for weeks on the body of that poor caterpillar, and we didn't know it.
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