robber fly

American  

noun

1. any of numerous swift-flying, often large, dipterous insects of the family Asilidae that are predaceous on other insects.

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robber fly British  

noun

1. Also called: bee killer.   assassin fly.  any of the predatory dipterous flies constituting the family Asilidae , which have a strong bristly body with piercing mouthparts and which prey on other insects

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Etymology

Origin of robber fly

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Many insects perform a service to the environment — including ladybugs, honeybees and other pollinators — and predator bugs, such as robber flies, eat other bugs.

From Washington Post

The action heroes of the animal world, they tend to be flashy and attention-getting, whether they’re large like cheetahs or tiny like robber flies.

From New York Times

For example, we have a robber fly caught in 1680 by the queen’s gardener at Hampton Court Palace, near London.

From Nature

Those authors also saw turtles eating caterpillars and robber flies.

From Project Gutenberg

Now, instead of hatching a butterfly, out comes this robber fly, a long, lean, sleek-looking fellow that has been living for weeks on the body of that poor caterpillar, and we didn't know it.

From Project Gutenberg