About Dioctria rufipes (Scopoli, 1763)
Dioctria rufipes (Scopoli, 1763) is a species of robber fly. Adults of this species reach a body length of approximately 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in), and a wing length of 7.5–9 mm (0.30–0.35 in). As medium-large robber flies, they have a black head and hard piercing mouthparts. Their antennal tubercle is well-developed, and sits above the eyes. The mesothorax is black, lightly covered in fine short pubescence, and marked with inconspicuous longitudinal stripes. The abdomen is slender, and becomes wider dorsally toward the posterior end. The front legs are entirely orange-red, while the hind legs are mostly black. A complete stripe of pale, short, soft tomentum (pubescence) runs along the sides of the thorax (the pleura), with an additional ventral stripe located above the middle coxa. This species is distributed across most of Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, former Yugoslavia, Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, Great Britain, and Italy. It is also found in the Near East and the eastern Palearctic realm. It primarily inhabits scrubby grassland, well-wooded areas, woodland edges, and hedgerows.
