The Hanging Thief Robber Fly (Diogmites) is an ambush predator that catches prey by either catching it from the ground or by catching it while on a plant. Once they obtain their food, they will use two legs to hang from a leaf or stem and use the rest to maneuver the food as they consume their catch.
The Hanging Thief Robber Fly is a large fly that hangs from leaves and branches waiting for its favorite food, bees, dragonflies, and biting flies like horse flies to pass by. It then takes chase and captures its prey in flight. It takes its prey to a branch or leaf where it pierces its victim with its mouthparts and drinks its fluids.
In this photo, you can see the behavior that earned this fly its common name of Hanging Thieves.
The genus Diogmites consists of 26 species in the United States, with 12 of those living east of the Mississippi River.
