#3835 · 🪰 flies & mosquitoes
fan-bristled robberfly
🇳🇱 Borstelroofvlieg ·Dysmachus trigonus
📍 Rockanje, Zuid-Holland, NL
📍 Appelscha, Alankomaat
📍 Hoenderloo, Netherlands
📍 Voorschoten, Nederland
📍 Ankeveen, Nederland
📍 Groesbeek, Nederland
📍 Groesbeek, Nederland
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © ajott · CC BY 4.0
- 2. © wp-polzin · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Nico · CC0
- 4. Rockanje, Zuid-Holland, NL:© no rights reserved · CC0
- 5. Appelscha, Alankomaat:© Matti Brandon · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. Hoenderloo, Netherlands:© Tia l'Amie · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. Voorschoten, Nederland:© Rob Westerduijn · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Ankeveen, Nederland:© dr. Werner de Gier · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. Groesbeek, Nederland:© Herman Berteler · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Groesbeek, Nederland:© Herman Berteler · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Dysmachus trigonus , the fan-bristled robberfly , is a species of robber fly (family Asilidae). It preys on other insects in flight.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 85 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 1,021 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1804 (222 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- fan-bristled robberfly
- Nederlands
- Borstelroofvlieg
- scientific name
- Dysmachus trigonus
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Diptera
- family
- Asilidae
- sightings in NL
- 85
- sightings in Europe
- 552
- sightings worldwide
- 1,021
- GBIF records in NL
- 9,421
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1804 by Johann Wilhelm Meigen
relatives· Asilidae
#3776 📷 10Stripe-legged Robber Fly
🇳🇱 Gewone bladjager
Dioctria hyalipennis
👀 298 in NL
#3779 📷 10Common Awl Robber Fly
🇳🇱 Bosrandroofvlieg
Neoitamus cyanurus
👀 242 in NL
#3800 📷 10Dune Robber Fly
🇳🇱 Zandroofvlieg
Philonicus albiceps
👀 148 in NL
#3804 📷 10kite-tailed robberfly
🇳🇱 Gewone roofvlieg
Tolmerus atricapillus
👀 138 in NL
#3820 📷 10Roodbaardroofvlieg
Eutolmus rufibarbis
👀 99 in NL
#3826 📷 10bumblebee robberfly
🇳🇱 Gele hommelroofvlieg
Laphria flava
👀 90 in NL
#3844 📷 7Hornet Robber Fly
🇳🇱 Hoornaarroofvlieg
Asilus crabroniformis
👀 70 in NL
#3864 📷 10Small Yellow-legged Robber Fly
🇳🇱 Bosgeelvlekbladjager
Dioctria linearis
👀 50 in NL
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 325258, Wikidata Q10757300, GBIF 1659167, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.