Dioctria oelandica
The robberflies in the genus Dioctria differ from the ones we dealt with before. They are referred to as black robberflies. The other ones are usually called the grey robberflies. The black robberflies are black mainly because of the dark wings. The legs normally are quite light indeed. Another characteristic of the black robberflies is that their wings are longer than their body is. In grey robberflies it is just the opposite. In Holland there are about 10 Dioctria species and this is the most common one.
Dioctria oelandica grows to a length of 12 to 15 millimeters. It mainly hunts for Crane Flies (Tipula), flies and Scorpion Flies. This is a spring species. The first are seen in April and by the end of June it is all over. They prefer soft soils, such as sand or lime. They are usually seen at the fringes of forests and love to hunt from brambles.
