Plain-tailed Hanging Thief

Diogmites neoternatus · Order: Diptera · Family: Asilidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Plain-tailed Hanging Thief
Photo: unknown, CC0

The plain-tailed hanging thief belongs to the robber-fly family Asilidae. Its genus name, Diogmites, comes from its habit of hanging by a foreleg while eating prey.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

The genus name Diogmites refers to its habit of hanging by a foreleg while consuming prey.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Plain-tailed Hanging Thief photo 3
Photo: Paul Bedell, CC BY-SA
Plain-tailed Hanging Thief photo 4
Photo: unknown, CC0
Plain-tailed Hanging Thief photo 5
Photo: Seth Wollney, CC BY
Plain-tailed Hanging Thief photo 6
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY-SA

Same family (Asilidae)

Northeastern HammertailNortheastern HammertailEfferia aestuansHarmlessStripe-legged Robber FlyStripe-legged Robber FlyDioctria hyalipennisKite-tailed robberflyKite-tailed robberflyTolmerus atricapillusGolden-tailed BeebanditGolden-tailed BeebanditMallophora fautrixSand HammertailSand HammertailEfferia albibarbisBlack-tailed LaphriaBlack-tailed LaphriaLaphria flavicollis

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogmites_neoternatus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.