European Longhorn Robber

delicate build; long slender abdomen is narrower at the base than at the tip; halteres yellow; legs less hairy/spiny than most robber flies, fore and mid legs yellowish with dark streaks on top side, hind legs dark. Abdomen black, shining. Lower margin of segments have a thin whitish line. First 4 male segments very narrow and constricted (appear wavy); last few segments gradually widen to tip. Female abdomen flat on top side, rounded and orange on underside; much wider and thicker than male, but shorter. From England, introduced to Boston, Massachusetts area around 1916. Types: Holotype as Asilus hyalipennis by Fabricius, 1794. Type Locality: Denmark. Fabricius’ collection is in the University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark. Holotype as Dioctria anomala by Macquart, 1826. Type Locality: Unknown. Many Macquart types are in Bigot’s collection which is divided between the University Museum at Oxford and the British Museum of Natural History, London, England. Also, Macquart types are scattered among a number of museums, with his personal collection deposited in Lille. Holotype as Dioctria flavipes by Meigen, 1804. Type Locality: Netherlands. Baumhauer’s collection is split between the Liege and the Leiden Museum, Netherlands. Holotype as Dioctria frontalis by Meigen, 1804. Type Locality: Unknown. Most of the Meigen collection is now in the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France. Holotype as Dioctria varipes by Meigen, 1820. Type Locality: Unknown. Most of the Meigen collection is now in the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France. Holotype as Dioctria baumhaueri by Meigen, 1820. Type Locality: Netherlands. Baumhauer’s collection is split between the Liege and the Leiden Museum, Netherlands. Holotype as Dioctria strandi by Duda, 1940. Type Locality: Unknown. Museum unknown.