About Dioctria bicincta Meigen, 1820
The robber fly species Dioctria bicincta Meigen, 1820 reaches an adult body length of approximately 7–9 mm (0.28–0.35 inches). Individuals of this species have a more or less shiny black thorax. The abdomen is typically black, and sometimes it bears partial reddish markings on the middle tergites. In males of this species, the hind metatarsi are very swollen. The front and middle tibiae and femora are mainly yellowish in color.
Dioctria bicincta is quite similar to two related species: Dioctria linearis, which has an almost identical abdominal shape and leg coloration, and Dioctria gracilis. Female robber flies of these three species cannot be easily separated from one another.
This species occurs across most of Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the territory of former Yugoslavia. It is not found in the British Islands.
