I was outside this afternoon when this odd looking thing landed on a leaf in front of me. It looks like a cross between a wasp, a bee and a furry moth to me. I didn't observe it in flight long enough to get much of an impression on its flight style though, so I have no idea which one it is... also, observe the odd looking feet.
It's a robber fly in the family Asilidae. Some species in the genera Laphria and Mallophora are excellent bee mimics, and Mallophora species specialize in preying on bees.
Thanks for the quick ID!
Indigoez, that's a really nice photo. Why don't you add it to the Bug Files?
