This insect looks a bit like a dragonfly at first glance, but if you look more closely you may notice that the wings and eyes are different from those of a dragonfly and this insect’s body is a lot hairier. This is a robber fly and I am pretty sure that it is a variety known as a Red-footed Cannibalfly (Promachus rufipes).
Red-footed Cannibalflies are among the coolest and creepiest insects that you may encounter in the wild. As their macabre moniker suggests, Red-footed cannibalflies usually feed on other insects, but they reportedly are capable of taking down a hummingbird.
Robber flies in general are predators that wait for their prey to fly by and then attack it. Wikipedia describes their attack in this way, “The fly attacks its prey by stabbing it with its short, strong proboscis injecting the victim with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which very rapidly paralyze the victim and soon digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied material through the proboscis.” Yikes!
I have a personal special attachment to Red-footed Cannibalflies. In 2013 I captured an image of one of these insects and for years it was my most popular photo on-line, with over 3700 views to date. Since then, a few other of my photos have jumped ahead of this cool-looking predator, which continues to get views a dozen years after it appeared in my blog.
I captured this image last Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I spotted this cannibalfly perched on a branch that was partially in direct sunlight. To keep from blowing out the highlights on its body, I deliberately underexposed the shot, which meant that the background became really dark. Normally I don’t like that kind of starkness and prefer a more natural background, but in this case it seems to work well with my creepy subject, giving it a spooky, Halloween-style vibe.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Oh my goodness! I’ve not heard of this fly and you’re right— it’s a bit macabre but also very interesting. I find nature full of such contradictions such as when I find a snake in the process of ingesting a toad or a sharp shinned hawk in the process of plucking a song bird for his dinner. I hate to see it but also am fascinated by the natural process and behaviours. I agree the black background was most appropriate for this interesting creature. Thank you, once again, for sharing your photos and experiences.
An interesting hairy beast.
Indeed it is–that’s exactly why I like to photography them. 🙂