As it is arthropod season for me, I am going to do a series of simple picture posts to introduce some of the members of the phylum Arthropoda. The most diverse of all phylums - as far as we know yet!

The Asilidae are the robber flies, also known as assassin flies. They are powerfully built, highly mobile flies with short, piercing and sucking mouthparts. The name "robber flies" reflects their notoriously aggressive predatory habits; they feed mainly on other insects. Primarily plant feeders but they do take bees, other flies and parasitic wasps as well. They largely wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight. A testament to their high speed and manouverability on the wing. You can easily see them perched at the sides of Thailand's forest trails and tracks, from where they launch their attacks on passing insect prey.