Waspish Robber Fly
Size 25mm. This is definitely a species that takes my breath away. Wasps are my most precious terrestrial invertebrates. My excitement to witness this animal carrying away a shield bug turned into being stunned when I checked out the photo in the monitor. This was definitely a fly and not a wasp. For me personally, an absolute surprise, and in general probably a fantastic example of a Batesian mimicry, most colourful and illustrative. The shield bug seems to be affected by parasitic mites. I am quite confident that this species belongs into the Neosaropogon genus. It might be difficult to identify down to species level based on the photos and without any expertise. The animal does not represent the typical robber fly shape, and it certainly behaved like a wasp. It landed with its prey on a flower. When I approached it took off quite quickly, grabbing the prey securely with its legs.
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