Blue-porcelain Robber Fly
Male, dorsal, Wing Venation
Ellura
Blue-porcelain Robber Fly
Female, profile
 
                      
Blue-porcelain Robber Fly (Dasypogoninae sp)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Flies (Diptera)
Family: Robber Fly (Asilidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Blue-porcelain Robber Fly (Dasypogoninae sp)
This Photo:     Male, dorsal, Wings Closed

Thank you Dr Chris Cohen for identifying this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
The males have a Blue-porcelain coloured body.
1. Thick, glabrous arista
2. White halteres
3. Orange around the leg joints
4. Shiny black upper abdomen
5. Grey under abdomen & body. Possibly thick short grey hair, hiding the 'skin' colour
6. A strange propensity to stand head down bum up.
7. ~9 to ~11mm long; some slightly smaller than others.
8. Significant swelling "seams" down the side; longitudinal wrinkles that seem to allow the abdomen to swell up. When gravid or large meal?
9. Long rear & middle legs, with thick thighs, supporting their propensity to stand head down.
10. Brushed hind legs.

We thought this might be Harpagobroma genus, but Chris lifted our id up to sub-family level, saying: "Because an apical spine appears to be present on the fore tibia, this is either Austrosaropogon or the undescribed genus Saropogina."
"Although I'll note that Saropogina and Harpagobroma are likely closely related, differing mostly by the presence/absence of the fore tibial spur."
Chris also confirmed the male shown here is also probably the same species as the female.

Copyright © 2021-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 18-Feb-2021
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.